Dynautics
UK maker of SPECTRE autopilots, vessel control, comms and simulation systems for USVs and UUVs, and builder of the 3 m modular Phantom 2 AUV.
Dynautics Ltd is a British engineering company that designs, manufactures and supplies control systems for uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs/AUVs). Its product range covers autopilots and vessel control systems (VCS), remote control, navigation, communications, power management, data logging and vehicle simulation. The company is based at Birch House, Parklands Business Park, Forest Road, Denmead, near Waterlooville in Hampshire, and serves offshore energy and mining, oceanography, marine transport and defence and security customers.
The business was founded in 1996 as H-Scientific (registered at Companies House as H. Scientific Limited, company number 03326051, incorporated in February 1997) and took the Dynautics name in 2018 to reflect its widening range of uncrewed systems. Its company timeline lists a self-tuning marine autopilot launched in 1998, adaptive dynamic positioning in 2000, and the first UK uncrewed surface vehicle approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for use on Ministry of Defence ranges, also in 2000. Later milestones include the AUV Sim product (2002), over-the-horizon command and control via Iridium RUDICS (2014), the E-Boat series for electrically propelled uncrewed vessels (2018), more than 10,000 miles navigated using Dynautics autopilots (2020), a new manufacturing cell and JOSCAR registration (2021), and Cyber Essentials certification (2023). Founder and CEO Dr Henry Robinson, who holds a physics degree and a PhD in electronic engineering, is recorded at Companies House as holding more than 25 and up to 50 percent of the shares; Sonardyne Group was listed as a person with significant control from 2017 until February 2024.
The core product family is SPECTRE. The SPECTRE M5 is a turnkey autopilot for USVs of roughly 4 to 24 metres length overall, with NMEA 0183/2000 sensor interfaces, CANbus engine and throttle control, support for up to four engines including twin waterjets, bow thrusters, heading, track and hover/dynamic-positioning modes, collision-avoidance support, a covert mode with no command-link transmissions, and control over Iridium, VSAT or Starlink links. The unit weighs 4.5 kg and draws about 24 W. Dynautics says the SPECTRE remote-control autopilot was fitted to the first boat approved for unmanned operation in UK coastal waters. The range also includes the SPECTRE S small-boat autopilot, the MicroSPECTRE C for surface and underwater vehicles, a remote docking joystick, power management modules (PMM, PGCO, PGCI and PGC), 2.4 GHz, UHF and GSM modems, the SPECTRE Secure Serial Communications Protocol for links of up to 20 nautical miles line of sight, collision avoidance, dynamic positioning and a Genie module. A new multi-channel Datalogger was previewed in 2026.
Simulation is a second pillar. Ship Sim 3, AUV Sim and SimBox are used to optimise hull, propulsion and autopilot tuning before sea trials, and the company describes Ship Sim as the only off-the-shelf marine simulator supporting the ISO 11674, ISO 16329 and IEC 62065 heading and track control standards. Dynautics developed mathematical models for IEC 62065 track-control accreditation and is a co-author of the UK Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships Code of Practice. In 2026 the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding in Ukraine adopted AUVSim for AUV teaching and research, and Dynautics sponsors the Society of Maritime Industries' Marine Autonomy Challenge.
Dynautics also builds its own vehicle. The first Phantom UUV was designed and delivered in 100 days for US Navy sea-trial acceptance in 2019. Phantom 2, launched in October 2025, is a modular 315 mm diameter AUV of 2.9 m (extendable to 3.3 m), weighing 122 kg without payload, with 4-knot cruise and 7-knot sprint speeds, 12 hours of endurance at 4 knots, a 100 m depth rating, a Sonardyne SprintNav Mini navigation unit and up to 111 litres of payload volume. Phantom 2 won the Subsea and Underwater Intervention award at the Seawork 2026 Innovations Showcase, and trials combining imaging sonar with a high-resolution optical camera were under way. Published integration partners include HydroSurv, whose battery-electric REAV-25 USV with rim-driven thrusters uses Dynautics autopilot control.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
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Contact Dynautics
WEBSITE
https://www.dynautics.com/PHONE
+44 23 9226 7607HEADQUARTERS
United Kingdom
Company Facts
Founded
1996
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
Certifications & Memberships
Keywords
- Dynautics
- SPECTRE M5 autopilot
- MicroSPECTRE
- Phantom 2 AUV
- Ship Sim 3
- AUV Sim
- vessel control system
- dynamic positioning
- Iridium RUDICS
- power management module
- collision avoidance
- Manufacturer
- Component Supplier
- Software/Algorithm
- Unmanned Marine Vehicle
- Control & Software
- Navigation & Positioning
- Connectivity
- USV
- AUV
