Role & capabilities
- Seabed imaging
- Bathymetric survey
- Environmental measurement
- Primary domain
- Underwater
- System type
- Autonomous underwater vehicle
- Developer / manufacturer
- General Dynamics Mission Systems
- Origin / production countries
- United States
- Other names
- No additional names recorded
- Variants / configurations
- Named configuration; see the evidence and specification notes
- Operators / programme customers
- Not established in the reviewed public sources
Evidence & current status
Supplier specification, without a verified military customer list in the reviewed material. Brochure length conversion differs from the web page; the web baseline is identified.
Bluefin-9 is a small autonomous underwater survey vehicle from General Dynamics Mission Systems. It uses onboard navigation and battery power for untethered operation, while acoustic and surface-accessible links support communications. The standard sensor package combines seabed imaging with environmental measurements and a camera.
The public technical page describes a seventy-kilogram vehicle and an eight-hour mission at three knots. That endurance is tied to a speed and sensor configuration; it is not a claim that the vehicle can sustain its maximum transit speed for the same duration. Portable handling likewise refers to a two-person system, not a pocket-sized drone.
The manufacturer’s web page and a later brochure differ in their metric conversion of the stated length. This profile follows the web page’s consistent 95.2-inch/241.8-centimetre pairing rather than silently mixing conversions. The reviewed material establishes an available product, but not a complete military operator inventory. Its defence relevance lies in autonomous seabed survey and inspection, with customer-specific military integrations requiring separate evidence.
Sourced specifications
Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.
| Specification | Reported value | Context & source |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Portable untethered survey AUV | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Hull / propulsion | Electric gimballed ducted thruster; rechargeable battery | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Dimensions | Length 2.418 m; cross-section 23.8 × 26.4 cm | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Displacement / mass | 70 kg | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Payload | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Endurance | 8 hours at 3 kt | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Range | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Speed | Up to 6 kt sustained transit | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Operating depth | 200 m | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Sensors | Multi-aperture side-scan sonar, camera and environmental sensors | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Communications / control | Acoustic, Wi-Fi, Iridium and wired shore connections | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Launch / deployment | Two-person handling arrangement | Published specification for the cited configuration; payload, environment and speed affect performance. Source ↗ |
Publication history
- — Added sourced land and maritime coverage with domain-specific evidence and limitations.
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Follow the evidence
Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.