Bluefin-12 - Robot Details, Use Case and Specifications

Bluefin-12

Bluefin-12 UUV is a lightweight medium-class autonomous underwater vehicle with modular payloads, long endurance, and high-resolution sonar for defense and survey missions.

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Data verified by manufacturer

Made by

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc.

Software Type

Closed Source

Software Package

Uses proprietary software, the Operator Tool Suite, include Bluefin Dashboard and Bluefin Planner, a complete UUV that provides interface between UUVs and operator for all mission. Bluefin-9 supports SeeByte’s SeeTrack 4, which allow operator to graphically plan missions on nautical charts and specify operational and safety limits, recovery points and return plans.

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Actuators

Gimbaled, ducted thruster for propulsion and control.

Compiute

Sensors

Equipped with Sonardyne Solstice 3000 Multi-Aperture Sonar (MAS), Nortek Doppler Velocity Log (DVL). Standard modular payloads include Side Scan Sonar With Full Swath Bathymetry, HD Machine Vision Camera, Sound Velocity Sensor + Temperature + Pressure, Turbidity and Fluorometry.

Max Op. time

1440

mins

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Robot Brief

The Bluefin-12 is a medium-class autonomous Unmanned Underwater Vehicle designed by General Dynamics Mission Systems to execute high-consequence, long-range subsea missions with modular payload flexibility, embedded intelligence, and powerful onboard data processing. It features a large internal payload volume for mission-specific sensors, precise navigation, and extended endurance suited for defense, scientific, industrial, and environmental applications.

Use Cases

Hydrographic and bathymetric survey:
Delivers high-resolution seabed imagery and detailed maps.
Environmental sensing:
Collects data on sound velocity, turbidity, fluorometry, temperature, and pressure.
Search, Recovery & Route Survey:
Detects objects and surveys seabed conditions.
Port, harbor & infrastructure security:
Provides subsea ISR for defense, maritime security, and critical asset protection.
Modular mission integration:
Supports user-designated payloads including sonar, camera, and forward-looking sensors

Industries

Defense & Military:
Mine countermeasures, ISR, force protection.
Commercial & Industrial:
Environmental assessment, water quality measurement.
Academic & Research:
Oceanography and ecosystem studies

Specifications

Length

4830

Width

320

Height (ResT)

Height (Stand)

Height (Min)

Height (Max)

Weight (With Batt.)

250

Weight (NO Batt.)

Max Step Height

Max Slope

+/-

Op. Temp (min)

°C

Op. Temp (Max)

°C

Ingress Rating

No items found.

Intro

The Bluefin-12 is a modular, medium-class autonomous underwater vehicle developed to provide robust subsea data collection across defense, scientific, and industrial operations. It measures approximately 4.83 m in length and 0.32 m in diameter with a rated depth of 200 m, making it suitable for littoral and near-shore missions.

Built on a modular architecture with over 4,000 cm³ of internal payload space, Bluefin-12 can integrate a wide range of sensors and payloads, including side-scan sonar, forward-looking sonar (FLS), machine-vision cameras, environmental sensors, and specialized mission kits. This extensibility enables operators to tailor the UUV for hydrographic surveys, route reconnaissance, water quality monitoring, or ISR tasks.

Navigation combines a high-performance Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) to achieve precise positioning with ≤0.1% distance traveled (D.T.) CEP 50 accuracy, ensuring geo-referenced data collection. Optional forward-looking sonar enables terrain following and collision avoidance, enhancing autonomous mission safety.

The Bluefin-12’s modular free-flooded design allows quick removal and replacement of batteries and the 1 TB Removable Data Storage Module (RDSM), minimizing turnaround time between missions. A suite of onboard processing capabilities ensures rapid access to actionable data once the vehicle is recovered.

Connectivity

Ethernet, Wi-Fi supported.
Bluefin TOPICS: A High-latency and low-bandwidth communications infrastructure. Enabling remote monitoring and command of the vehicle during missions.
Iridium satellite (Over-the-Horizon) communications: Provides global, beyond-line-of-sight connectivity when the vehicle is surfaced, enabling mission status reporting and command updates from remote locations.
Acoustic communications (surface-enabled): Supports acoustic data exchange while the vehicle is on or near the surface, allowing limited command and status updates without physical recovery.

Capabilities

Large modular payload bay:
>4,000 cm³ for user-specified sensors.
High-resolution sonar:
Sonardyne Solstice multi-aperture sonar with ~200 m swath and 0.15° along-track resolution.
Precise navigation:
DVL + INS with ≤0.1% D.T. CEP 50 accuracy.
Terrain following & collision avoidance:
Available via integrated forward-looking sonar.
Embedded onboard processing:
1 TB RDSM for data capture, processing, and storage.
Rapid mission turnaround:
Hot-swap batteries and data modules reduce downtime.