Placement in the RCC Hopper could enable direct prototype awards without further competition, accelerating Navy adoption for unmanned undersea operations
AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Please replace the release dated April 9, 2026 with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.
The updated release reads:
TERRADEPTH’S ABSOLUTE OCEAN CLEARED SELECTION PROCESS AND PLACED IN NIWC ATLANTIC RCC HOPPER
Placement in the RCC Hopper could enable direct prototype awards without further competition, accelerating Navy adoption for unmanned undersea operations
Terradepth, a venture-backed maritime technology company delivering the Ocean Operating System™, today announced that its Absolute Ocean cloud-native data-to-decision platform has been formally moved into the Rapid Capabilities Cell (RCC) Hopper at Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic.
The selection follows a successful Phase II Pitch under the NIWC Atlantic Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) N65236-26-S-0001, Area of Interest (AOI) 26-A001 for the Unmanned Naval Innovation Team (UNIT) in Robotics and Autonomous Systems.
RCC Hopper placement designates Absolute Ocean as a government-evaluated and immediately available prototype solution. U.S. Navy sponsors can now execute direct prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreements immediately for up to 24 months. This mechanism enables dramatic acceleration and scaling to deployment for undersea autonomy, data fusion, and decision advantage.
“This is a pivotal milestone in making Absolute Ocean accessible to government customers,” said Joe Wolfel, Founder and CEO at Terradepth. “RCC Hopper turns a rigorous competitive review into an off-the-shelf acquisition option that any USG customer can use immediately. Our technology is no longer ‘in process’—it is ready to buy, ready to field, and ready to deliver decisive maritime superiority at the speed of relevance.”
Absolute Ocean is the software foundation of Terradepth’s Ocean Operating System™, a fully integrated, end‑to‑end subsea data ecosystem that spans autonomous vehicle fleets, edge computing, cloud federation, and AI‑driven PED. The platform ingests and manages a broad range of data types, including raw and processed sonar, oceanographic, and unmanned system (UxV) data, enabling near real‑time analysis and collaboration across distributed teams.
Designed to operate seamlessly across requiredenvironments, Absolute Ocean supports workflows on all required domains. Proven in major U.S. Navy exercises, including TRIDENT SPECTRE, RIMPAC 2024, and ONR TOEE, Absolute Ocean is currently in operational use by the U.S. Navy across AWS GovCloud, Navy enclave networks, and deployed edge hardware.
This announcement comes ahead of Terradepth’s exhibition at Sea Air Space 2026 (April 19–22, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, MD). Booth visitors will see live demonstrations of the Ocean Operating System™, including Absolute Ocean’s edge-to-cloud workflow, hybrid LUUV operations, and near real-time data-to-decision capabilities tailored for contested maritime domains.
About Terradepth
Terradepth (www.terradepth.com) is a venture-backed maritime technology company building the Ocean Operating System™, a dual-use platform that turns fragmented subsea data into persistent, decision-ready insight for critical underwater environments. Designed for defense and commercial markets, it encompasses the design and deployment of subsea drones and uncrewed systems, autonomous data collection, edge-based data handling, custom application development, and secure cloud access within a unified system.
At the core is Absolute Ocean®, a cloud-native platform that delivers a shared operational picture of the seafloor, enabling faster, more informed decisions across organizations and time.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with operations in Panama City Beach, Florida, Terradepth serves offshore energy, telecommunications, civil government, and national security markets.
For more information or to schedule a briefing at Sea Air Space 2026, contact: [email protected]
This release is issued in advance of Sea Air Space 2026 to highlight a contracting acceleration mechanism that directly benefits government teams seeking unified undersea data platforms.
Contacts
Media Contact
Sarah Knox
[email protected]
