Cellula, Metron sign agreement to advance US undersea capability

Canadian company Cellula Robotics and Metron have signed a 10-year agreement to deliver a combined solution for the United States defense market, bringing together Cellula’s commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) long-endurance autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) platforms with the US company’s adaptive mission autonomy and undersea warfare and maritime domain expertise. 

Building on their successful collaboration to date, including work supporting the Defense Innovation Unit’s CAMP project, the agreement establishes a long-term framework focused on faster fielding, strong operational performance, and confidence in long-term support, Cellula said.

“We’ve worked closely with Metron over the last three years, and this agreement builds on that successful relationship,” said Neil Manning, CEO of Cellula Robotics. “It gives customers greater confidence in supply, long-term support, and operational performance by bringing together complementary strengths in a solution designed to be fielded faster and aligned closely with mission needs.”

The agreement also strengthens Cellula’s position in the US defense market through its growing US team and long-term collaboration with an established American partner, Cellula said.  

“Cellula brings a proven, flexible COTS platform approach to the partnership. That is important for defense customers looking for capability that can be adapted, integrated, and fielded quickly with confidence,” said Van Gurley, President and CEO of Metron, Inc. “Together, we are combining our autonomy, mission planning, and novel payload options with Cellula’s long-endurance AUV platforms in a way that delivers the next-generation autonomous undersea system the US Navy has been pursuing for over a decade.”