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26MTRSeptember2011 growing interest from Homeland Security. Although many countries defense budgets are reducing there are considerable opportunities for cost effective specialist ROV/AUV under- water equipment for mine counter-measures, submarine deployed sys- tems and long range AUV?s for vari- ous defence applications. What are the most important trends affecting Saab Seaeye? There is more than one trend shaping our future. As operators seek ROVs that are more powerful and do more things, the demand for models at thetop end of the range is growing, along with a demand for more turnkey solutions, including LARS and cab- ins. Operators have already started to look at cost savings coming from using hybrid ROVs for maintenance, inspection and light work tasks, where a support vessel is not needed or a low cost vessel can be used. The future challenge is to make both ROVs and hybrid AUVs more intelli- gent and allow for more semi- autonomous operation and alsodesign in the flexibility to allow this technology to be applied in a stagedprocess to build confidence and relia- bility. Operators are also looking for us to provide improved tooling and sensors to reduce the time needed to perform underwater tasks. What do you count as the biggest challenges to your business, from both the legislative and technical sides?Grant My current priority is to integrate the UK and Swedish opera- tions and grow both the commercial and defens areas of the business. This successful integration will drive through the introduction of common technology across the product lines and market sectors which will provide the technical solutions and products required by both the defense and civilian markets. One of the early challenges faced is the introduction of hybrid ROVs/AUVs into the com- mercial market. www.seaeye.com MTR#7 (18-33):MTR Layouts 8/29/2011 9:55 AM Page 26