The U.S. Navy has chosen to procure Strategic Robotic Systems’ (SRS) FUSION unmanned underwater vehicle to be the future explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) ROV, with initial deliveries commencing in the third quarter of 2019.
 
The SRS FUSION represents the next generation in expeditionary capable, compact, remotely operated underwater systems. As a fully battery powered system, the FUSION has an ultracompact footprint, rapid setup and extended excursion capability. Advanced supervisory control, expandable payload bay and benchmark intuitiveness combine to enhance the warfighters’ field readiness.
 
While primarily developed for this application, the capabilities of the FUSION vehicle make it highly suitable for a variety of roles in both the defense and security arenas, including very shallow water, littoral mine countermeasures, lost-object search, hull survey, damage assessment and casualty recovery. Military and civil end-users include Special Forces, ship’s husbandry units, Coast Guard and salvage units.
 
Through an extensive characterization process conducted by the U.S. Navy, the FUSION underwent a series of tests to determine its viability as a future system to aid in a variety of EOD-related missions. Tests included empirically led trials and reliability/maintenance assessment; all at the hands of fleet operators that exercised the system against simulated missions. FUSION was evaluated to verify its simplicity of deployment, ease of operation and mission-execution capabilities. The evaluation team comprised technical experts, field operators, trainers and EOD specialists.
 
The specification, characterization and procurement process was facilitated through the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), which allowed SRS to openly communicate with the end-user throughout the process. This communication ensured the FUSION met the requirements set forth by PMS-408 (Expeditionary Missions) and the fleet.