Singapore, October 6 — BeeX, a homegrown subsea robotics start-up pioneering Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (HAUVs), today announced a landmark contract with Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). This agreement represents one of BeeX’s largest projects to date and validates the company’s vision of transforming underwater operations through autonomous robotics.
Unlike traditional defense contractors’ underwater vehicles, BeeX’s HAUVs come with built-in Artificial Intelligence (AI) trained on over a decade of commercial deployments. This gives MINDEF access to a mature platform that has proven its reliability across both civilian and defense contexts. In a joint partnership, BeeX and the Defence Science and Technology Agency further enhanced the system’s autonomy to meet MINDEF’s requirements as it operates in Singapore’s challenging underwater environment.
BeeX’s HAUV offers comprehensive subsea awareness by generating real-time camera feeds, two-dimensional sonar mosaics, and three-dimensional point cloud visualizations of complex operational environments. The vehicle also reduces mission risk by detecting anomalies and flagging potential threats to critical underwater infrastructure, strengthening Singapore’s ability to respond to evolving maritime challenges.
“MINDEF’s decision to partner with BeeX is not just a milestone for our company, but also a signal that subsea autonomy is redefining defense readiness,” said Grace Chia, CEO of BeeX.
The announcement comes as BeeX advances its SGD 10 million Series A fundraising round, which has already secured commitments for more than 50% of its target. With strong interest from global investors, BeeX is well-positioned to scale its impact across Asia-Pacific and Europe, bringing the lessons of Singapore’s defense collaboration to ministries and militaries worldwide.
BeeX is a Singapore-based robotics company pioneering Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (HAUVs) as a service. By combining commercial deployment experience with advanced AI-driven autonomy, BeeX provides defense and commercial clients with unmatched subsea intelligence and operational efficiency.
