Autosub 5
Gallery
Overview
The UK's 6,000 m work-class research AUV, which can also be reconfigured for missions under polar ice shelves.
Autosub 5 is the National Oceanography Centre's deep-diving research AUV and the flagship of the UK's national fleet of marine robots. About 6 m long and 2 tonnes, it is a high-power, ship-launched vehicle commissioned to dive to 6,000 m, and it can be reconfigured for 2,000 m missions under polar ice shelves, continuing a line of Autosubs that first explored beneath Antarctic ice. Its large power budget lets it carry demanding science payloads such as multibeam and side-scan sonars, cameras, and water-column sensors for mapping the seafloor, studying ice-ocean interaction, and observing deep-ocean processes. It works alongside the smaller, very long-endurance Autosub Long Range.
Primary Roles
Notes
NOC describes Autosub 5 as a high-power, ship-launched, work-class AUV about 6 m long and about 2 tonnes, commissioned for 6,000 m operations and reconfigurable for 2,000 m under-ice missions. It succeeds earlier Autosubs that explored beneath Antarctic ice shelves.
