An unmanned surface vehicle that was "battle-proven" a decade ago has been brought out of mothballs to meet new threats.

Sea Owl, a semi-autonomous/autonomous marine craft from Finmeccanica subsidiary DRS was used extensively in the Arabian Gulf around Kuwait and Bahrain to protect vital waterways against mines.

A Sea Owl is on display at the DRS booth where business development manager Lisa Mogensen said the craft has become relevant for today's challenges. Potential missions include port security, antipiracy, offshore oil platform protection and as a platform for weapon or ROV launches.

With speeds of up to 30kt, the 10ft-long craft can carry cameras, sonar and radar equipment, spotlights, sirens, sensors and even microphones and speakers. It can be remotely operated from land sea or air and is easy to deploy and recover.

Source: Flight Daily News