San Diego-based Ocean Aero has signed a multi-million dollar two-year contract with the Department of Defense under the Rapid Innovation Fund (DoD RIF) program.
Ocean Aero was selected to create a prototype Long Range Unmanned Underwater and Surface Vessel, similar to their current Submaran model. This contract is the result of a year of developing this concept, drafting and writing the proposal, as well as negotiating the contract with the DoD.
The Department of Defense’s Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) was created to implement small business technologies into programs designed for national security needs. RIF issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) early last year looking for firms who had the ability to produce a “long range, high endurance hybrid unmanned underwater/surface vehicle that can transit for long, open ocean distances on the surface with a relatively low signature and then submerge to avoid surface traffic and conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.”
CEO and President, Eric Patten , said: “ We are very excited about this opportunity to grow as a company and demonstrate how valuable the Submaran is to major organizations around the world. This contract further validates that our team is on the right path with our technology and vision.”
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