Page 39: of Marine Technology Magazine (March 2007)

www,seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 39

Hafmynd Logs Military Sales for Gavia AUV

Hafmynd sold two GAVIA vehicles to two undisclosed military buyers. One is the defense research agency of a non-European country, the other is a navy of a European state. The

GAVIA vehicles will be delivered in March and August respectively. "We have demonstrated

GAVIA to potential clients around the world during the last 12 months, for use in commer- cial, military, security and research missions" says Torfi Thorhallsson general manager of

Hafmynd. "Receiving the Frost & Sullivan homeland security award and closing sales to two significant military buyers is confirmation of how well GAVIA is being received in this rapidly growing market. We expect to see further sales in the coming year to security and defense customers who appreciate GAVIA's unique combination of multi-mission capabili- ties and affordability." The U.S. Navy (The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centre (SPAWAR)), University of British Columbia and the National Research Council of Canada have earlier procured GAVIA underwater autonomous vehicles.

GAVIA is designed to be easily deployable from the shore, light craft or vessels of oppor- tunity and can be rapidly reconfigured for a broad range of surveying and monitoring operations. The system is man-portable and can be field assembled in minutes. It is capa- ble of being fitted with a variety of sophisticated sensors and the integration of new hard- ware and software modules is possible with minimum effort. The changeable modules are assembled using GAVIA's unique QuickLock system, allowing fast reconfiguration and bat- tery replacement. GAVIA's mission capabilities enable customers to supplement or replace manned diving operations at a low cost with automated surveys of large areas of both littoral and deep water with fast in-the-water time and rapid search results. GPS/INS navigation and 3-D side-scan sonar allow advanced surveying and precise positioning.

For more information, Email: [email protected]

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