June 28, 2009:
Egypt is buying three Pluto Plus UUVs (unmanned undersea vehicles). These cost about $3.5 million each. The Pluto Plus is a 700 pound, 6.5 foot long, 1.86 feet in diameter devices that carry sensors (radar, sonar, metal detectors, cameras) and moves at about ten kilometers an hour. The UUV is controlled by a two kilometer long cable, that enables the operators to see whatever the vehicle detects. The Pluto Plus is mainly to be used to search for bottom mines (that sit on the ocean floor in coastal waters). There are about 150 Pluto Plus UUVs in use worldwide.