Equipped with advanced sensors, the Bluebottles will provide a proven long-endurance and cost-effective capability to enhance maritime domain awareness to detect and monitor activity below and above the ocean surface.
Robert Dane, Chief Executive Officer of Ocius Technology, said the verification program in Japan represents another step forward in support of regional maritime security.
“Japan and Australia are major maritime nations with extensive maritime domains, a strong reliance on secure sea lanes and a shared interest in maintaining a peaceful, stable and secure Indo-Pacific.
“This verification program demonstrates how our two countries can work together to deliver practical capability that strengthens maritime security.
“We are particularly proud that an Australian-designed and built technology will contribute to the security of one of Australia’s closest strategic partners.”
In March 2026, the Australian Government announced a $176 million investment to deliver a further 40 Australian-designed and built Bluebottles, significantly increasing the region’s long-range maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capacity.
The vessels for the JMSDF verification program will be manufactured at Ocius Technology’s advanced maritime manufacturing facility in Sydney, Australia.
The Bluebottle is a groundbreaking Australian-designed USV powered by solar, wind and wave energy enabling long-endurance operations while maintaining an acoustically quiet environment for superior underwater surveillance. The Bluebottle’s patented design allows it to operate across the world’s vast maritime domains while carrying sophisticated payloads, providing continuous low-observable surface and subsurface intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
