Bluefin-12

Produced in the USA by General Dynamics Mission Systems, the Bluefin-12 is a medium-class autonomous underwater vehicle weighing about 250 kg. Lighter and more manageable than its heavyweight sibling, it balances portability against endurance, giving operators a flexible platform they can move and launch with fewer resources while still covering serious mission distances.

It navigates with a Sonardyne Solstice 3000 Multi-Aperture Sonar and a Nortek Doppler Velocity Log, and its modular bays accept side-scan sonar with full-spectrum imaging and other survey payloads. A gimbaled, ducted thruster drives and steers the vehicle, endurance runs to roughly 1,440 minutes, and the proprietary Operator Tool Suite, with Bluefin Dashboard and Bluefin Planner, manages mission planning and control.

As an underwater survey robot, the Bluefin-12 handles defence, search and rescue, reconnaissance, security patrols and telepresence. Its high-resolution sonar and long endurance suit coastal and offshore survey, mine-countermeasure support and persistent monitoring tasks that are common along the region's busy sea lanes. The class also suits research institutions and commercial survey firms that need capable subsea imaging without the logistics burden of the largest vehicles.

Nexon System helps defence and hydrographic operators across Southeast Asia deploy the General Dynamics Bluefin-12, providing payload integration, mission-system setup, operator training and ongoing support. Talk to Nexon to scope a medium-class survey capability sized to your operations. We work with you on payload selection, data-workflow integration and crew training, and provide regional support to keep the vehicle mission-ready between deployments.