Bluefin-9

Made in the USA by General Dynamics Mission Systems, the Bluefin-9 is a compact, portable autonomous underwater vehicle roughly 0.26 m across and 70 kg in weight. Its small footprint makes it a two-person deployable system that can be launched from a small boat or shoreline, yet it retains genuine survey capability rather than being a mere training tool.

The vehicle uses a Sonardyne Solstice 3000 Multi-Aperture Sonar and a Nortek Doppler Velocity Log for navigation, with modular side-scan sonar payloads for imaging. A gimbaled, ducted thruster handles propulsion and control, endurance is around 480 minutes, and the proprietary Operator Tool Suite, including Bluefin Dashboard and Bluefin Planner, provides the planning and control interface between operators and the vehicle.

As a portable underwater survey robot, the Bluefin-9 supports defence, reconnaissance, search and rescue, security patrols and telepresence. Its rapid-deploy design suits shallow and coastal work, harbour surveys, environmental sensing and quick-turnaround ISR where a larger UUV would be impractical to launch. Its light weight also makes it a practical training and development asset for teams building up their autonomous-underwater-vehicle operating experience.

Nexon System equips maritime and defence teams across Southeast Asia with the General Dynamics Bluefin-9, handling mission-system integration, payload setup, operator training and support. Talk to Nexon to add a nimble, portable subsea asset to your survey or security toolkit. Nexon can integrate its data outputs with your survey tools, run hands-on operator training, and keep spares and support close at hand for fast turnarounds.