ORB New Underwater Rescue Robot Revealed for Naval Search and Recovery Missions.

Trident Subsea Systems introduced its ORB Search and Rescue underwater robot at UMEX 2026 in Abu Dhabi, positioning it as a tactical ROV for military and homeland security missions. The system addresses a growing operational gap in deep, zero-visibility environments where divers and conventional platforms face significant risk or outright failure.

At the UMEX 2026 defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi, Trident Subsea Systems formally unveiled the ORB Search and Rescue underwater robot, a compact remotely operated vehicle designed specifically for military and paramilitary operations. Company officials described the system as purpose-built for high-risk maritime environments, offering security forces a deployable tool for underwater missions that are too deep, too dangerous, or too visually degraded for human divers and legacy ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) submarines.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Trident Subsea Systems showcases the ORB SAR underwater robot at UMEX 2026, highlighting its compact design and advanced sonar navigation suite tailored for military search-and-rescue operations in zero-visibility environments. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

Drawing on Trident’s established ORB platform, the SAR variant blends ruggedized hardware with precision control systems to address the unique demands of military users. Its spherical chassis, engineered for omnidirectional mobility, is paired with a six-thruster vector configuration that provides full 6 degrees of freedom manoeuvrability. This allows the ORB to hover in strong currents, adjust orientation in confined spaces, and maintain precise positioning near fragile or hazardous underwater objects, critical during submerged recovery or explosives detection tasks.

Unlike legacy systems, the ORB is optimized for rapid deployment in emergency scenarios, whether launched from a pier, an RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats), or even air-dropped via a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), using Trident’s modular deployment system. With its reinforced stainless-steel pressure housing, the platform is rated for depths up to 1,000 feet, far exceeding the operational range of most tactical dive teams. A fully sealed buoyancy core ensures high stability in turbulent or debris-filled waters, a frequent challenge during maritime disaster response or post-conflict recovery missions.

At the heart of the ORB’s navigation suite is a forward-mounted multi-beam scanning sonar, essential for manoeuvring in zero-visibility conditions such as harbour silt, post-blast sediment, or algae-filled channels. Combined with a tilt-enabled HD camera and adaptive LED floodlights, the system offers dual-mode situational awareness: sonar-based object detection when visibility is compromised, and optical verification when water clarity allows. An optional acoustic positioning system enables accurate tracking in GPS-denied zones, making the ORB suitable for covert or denied-access operations.

One of the most significant innovations lies in the ORB’s compatibility with open-source control stacks such as ArduSub and BlueOS. This not only allows advanced autonomy, including station-keeping and waypoint navigation, but also future-proofs the system for AI-driven behaviors. Trident engineers confirmed that upcoming software modules will enable semi-autonomous search patterns, sonar-target classification, and real-time mission adaptation. These capabilities could elevate the ORB into the realm of operational autonomy previously limited to larger, costlier autonomous underwater vehicles.

Defense analysts see immediate applications for the ORB SAR in naval special warfare, border protection, and maritime law enforcement. Its portability, a single-operator kit with a field-swappable tether reel, means units can conduct reconnaissance or evidence-gathering dives without dedicated support vessels. In asymmetric environments, such as insurgent-controlled ports or coastal smuggling corridors, this kind of autonomous underwater presence could be a force multiplier. The ability to deliver an ROV via UAV, either by parachute or buoy-assisted drop, further expands the reach of maritime ISR and rescue operations without exposing surface platforms to risk.

The ORB’s mission flexibility places it at the intersection of multiple high-priority military roles. For naval explosive ordnance disposal teams, it provides a safer, faster alternative to divers when investigating underwater threats or conducting hull inspections in potentially mined waters. For port security forces and coastal patrol units, the ORB enables routine sub-surface scans of critical infrastructure, such as bridge pylons, ship hulls, and pier supports, to detect tampering or sabotage. In post-conflict scenarios or natural disasters, it can assist in locating submerged remains, aircraft wreckage, or downed equipment, offering humanitarian and strategic value.

Strategically, the ORB’s capacity for integration into distributed maritime operations provides a new layer of underwater situational awareness. Its potential to serve as a forward-deployed node in a networked sensor architecture could enable naval task forces to conduct real-time undersea reconnaissance without the logistical tail of larger manned assets. When paired with UAVs or autonomous surface vessels, the ORB could conduct persistent surveillance across wide littoral zones, detecting mines, unauthorized submersibles, or illicit underwater activity well before conventional assets arrive on scene.

In an era where undersea competition is intensifying, and the threat landscape includes sabotage of subsea cables, mining of commercial shipping lanes, and gray-zone naval incursions, tools like the ORB SAR expand the operational toolkit of modern navies. This platform is not merely a search-and-rescue tool. It is a modular, scalable asset designed for the hybrid maritime battlefield, where threats emerge unpredictably and underwater domain awareness is a decisive factor.

As navies worldwide modernize their fleets with unmanned capabilities, the ORB SAR represents a significant leap toward affordable, deployable undersea robotics with real combat-support applications. The integration of precision sensors, a full-mobility thrust architecture, and AI-ready control in a single rugged platform points to a future where underwater robotics is not just a support asset but an operational enabler in contested maritime domains.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.