Sparus II
Lightweight hovering underwater vehicle from Iqua Robotics of Girona, Spain.
Two of the Spanish Navy's Sparus II underwater vehicles are due a refit: the navy's Cartagena buying office published the tender on 7 October 2026 and wants bids by 23 October. The notice covers a refit, not a new purchase.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Who will win the Spanish Navy refit of two Sparus II vehicles?
Timeline for Sparus II
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Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaBackground
The Sparus II is a lightweight hovering autonomous underwater vehicle made by Iqua Robotics of Girona, Spain. The University of Girona's robotics centre lists it at 1.6m long and 52kg, rated to 200m depth, with a top speed of about 3 knots and 8 to 10 hours of endurance. Its payload bay is open to customer equipment, and it runs ROS-based mission software, which suits research and naval users WHO want to fit their own sensors.
The Spanish Navy operates the type. Its Cartagena procurement office issued Tenders Electronic Daily notice 691082-2026 on 7 October 2026, seeking bids by 23 October for refit work on two vehicles. It was one of several small underwater-robot notices that European buyers published between 5 September and 7 October, most of them for single units.
A refit of two vehicles shows a navy keeping a small research-class fleet in service rather than expanding it.
