Lockheed Martin is leveraging its proven capabilities and technology with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) to enable the oil and gas industry to perform subsea inspections faster, safer and more effectively with its Marlin AUV System.

Following Marlin's successful inspection of 14 offshore sites and surrounding seabed last summer in the Gulf of Mexico for a major operating company, Lockheed Martin is making the Marlin system available for sale or lease to oil and gas service providers for underwater inspections.

Marlin is a 10-foot long AUV equipped with advanced autonomy and high resolution optical and acoustic sensors that generates 3-D geo-referenced models of underwater platforms and surrounding seabed, creating an accurate view of the area.

"We developed the Marlin from our extensive AUV systems experience to fill a need in the commercial sector," said Dan McLeod, program manager of Lockheed Martin's Offshore Systems and Sensors business.

"The Marlin essentially creates a window below the surface of the water that allows operators to manage what they typically cannot see, which is a game changer for our customers."