Bluebottle (uncrewed surface vessels)

	Ocius Bluebottle
Class overview
Builders	OCIUS Technology
Operators	Royal Australian Navy; Australian Border Force; Royal New Zealand Navy;
Built	mid‑2010s–present
In commission	2022–present
Planned	57
On order	40
Completed	17
General characteristics
Type	Autonomous underwater vehicle
Length	7.4 m (24 ft 3 in)
Notes	Information on the design specifics has not been publicly released.

The Bluebottle is an Australian long-range, extra-large unmanned surface vehicle being jointly developed by OCIUS Technology and the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). 15 have been developed and used by the Royal Australian Navy from 2022–2026 with an additional 40 ordered in March 2026.^[2]

Project history

In March 2026, a $176 million contract was signed for an additional 40 Bluebottles for the Royal Australian Navy, which would bring the total amount in service to 55.^[3]

The Royal New Zealand Navy had two Bluebottles as of August 2025.^[4]

It was announced in October 2026 that the Australian Government was gifting an unspecified number of Bluebottles to Fiji, with the USVs to be delivered in 2027.^[5]

References

↑ "technical specifications". OCIUS Technology. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
↑ Kuper, Stephen (11 March 2026). "Australia set to field one of the world's largest fleets of maritime drones with $176m investment". Defence Connect. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
↑ "Government awards Ocius Bluebottle USV fleet contract". Australian Defence Magazine. 11 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
↑ "Devonport naval officer embraces new tech as Navy helps Fiji police its waters". New Zealand Defence Force. 14 August 2025.
↑ "Fiji gifted Bluebottle USVs". Australian Defence Magazine. 30 October 2026. Retrieved 30 October 2026.

[1] "technical specifications". OCIUS Technology. Retrieved 12 March 2026.

[2] Kuper, Stephen (11 March 2026). "Australia set to field one of the world's largest fleets of maritime drones with $176m investment". Defence Connect. Retrieved 12 March 2026.

[3] "Government awards Ocius Bluebottle USV fleet contract". Australian Defence Magazine. 11 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.

[4] "Devonport naval officer embraces new tech as Navy helps Fiji police its waters". New Zealand Defence Force. 14 August 2025.

[5] "Fiji gifted Bluebottle USVs". Australian Defence Magazine. 30 October 2026. Retrieved 30 October 2026.

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Project history

See also

References