Role & capabilities
- Underwater survey
- Environmental assessment
- Primary domain
- Underwater
- System type
- Autonomous underwater vehicle
- Developer / manufacturer
- TKMS ATLAS ELEKTRONIK
- Origin / production countries
- Germany
- Other names
- No additional names recorded
- Variants / configurations
- SeaCat MK1 modular variants; German Type 332 minehunter configuration
- Operators / programme customers
- German Navy — four-vehicle procurement
Evidence & current status
The government page retains a 2023 information baseline and future delivery language; a 2025 page date is not evidence of completed 2026 delivery.
SeaCat is a modular underwater vehicle that can survey autonomously or use an optional fibre-optic tether for remotely controlled inspection. Interchangeable sensor heads allow different survey and observation equipment to be fitted, while additional modules change hull length, mass and available endurance. The hybrid control arrangement is a defining feature: the cable-supported inspection mode is distinct from untethered autonomous surveys.
TKMS publishes family dimensions spanning three to four-and-a-half metres and a broad endurance envelope. Those ranges describe configurations, not one vessel that simultaneously achieves every maximum. The manufacturer describes a 600-metre family capability, whereas the German procurement account specifies survey work down to 300 metres for the Navy configuration.
The Bundeswehr confirms a contract for four vehicles, integration on Type 332 minehunters and training infrastructure in Kiel. Its page carries a May 2025 publication date but retains an October 2023 information baseline and forecast delivery dates. Consequently, the passage predicting availability by mid-2026 is not treated as an acceptance report. Named fleet delivery and the exact fitted German sensor configuration remain follow-up questions.
Sourced specifications
Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.
| Specification | Reported value | Context & source |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Hull / propulsion | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Dimensions | 3.0–4.5 m length; 324 mm diameter | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Displacement / mass | 200–350 kg | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Payload | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Endurance | 7 to more than 24 hours | Configuration-dependent manufacturer envelope. Source |
| Range | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
| Speed | Typical 3–4 knots | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Operating depth | Family: up to 600 m; German procurement baseline: 300 m | Supplier family maximum; the separately cited German procurement describes a 300 m customer configuration. Source |
| Sensors | Interchangeable sonar, optical and survey heads | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Communications / control | Autonomous or optional fibre-optic ROV mode | Manufacturer baseline; configuration and conditions affect performance. Source |
| Launch / deployment | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source |
Publication history
- — Published reference update.
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Follow the evidence
Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.
- TKMS SeaCat MK1 (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
- Bundeswehr SeaCat procurement (opens in a new tab)Government