Explosive Ordnance Disposal Hull Unmanned Underwater Localization System HULS Mk 19
Each EOD HULS System (known as MK19), consists of two vehicles and associated support equipment. Bluefin’s third-generation Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (HAUV-3), used in the MK19 system, was developed under Office of Naval Research and the EOD Program Office (PMS 408). The vehicle allows detection of IEDs and limpet mines on ship hulls, piers, pilings, and quay walls for harbor and force protection.
The MK19 vehicle operates by hull-relative navigation and control and provides very detailed acoustic images of a ship hull with 100 percent sonar coverage, without prior knowledge about the ship.
Although it looks like a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) with its six thrusters and its fiber optic data tether, the vehicle is powered by an onboard battery and operates primarily autonomously with the ability for the operator to take manual control to investigate contacts.