Guardian, formerly Solus-XR, is a large configurable AUV platform with mission-payload bays and third-party autonomy integration. Cellula Robotics USA supplies the Guardian-derived platform for Metron’s DIU CAMP Lancet prototype; September 2026 fabrication concerns MOXSEA vehicle sections, with a March 2027 demonstration planned. Optional naval payloads and an announced confidential sale do not establish a qualified mine-countermeasure system or operational fleet acceptance.
Technical detail
Core features
Two 2,500 L payload bays or a single-bay configuration, with deployable assets and ship/shore launch options.
Metron-led Lancet combines a Guardian-derived platform with partner autonomy and payload-delivery integration; Cellula provides engineering and NautiGEN power integration.
Vendor table: 11.7 m by 1.66 m, 300/1,000/3,000 m depth variants and fuel-cell 925 h/5,000 km; the 45-day overview conflicts with the table.
Company announced a sale to an unnamed defence customer in August 2025; quantity delivered and acceptance results remain undisclosed.
Autonomous Systems
Sensing Isr
Advanced Manufacturing Integration
Use & integration
Recorded applications
Undersea platform and payload integration for defence programmes
Long-duration prototype missions and off-platform payload deployment
These describe the reviewed application scope, not confirmed deployments, released requirements or procurement eligibility.
Evidence of maturity
Named prototype integration and fabrication, with a future demonstration milestone; operational acceptance and MCM qualification are not established.
Commercial availability
Programme-specific configuration and integration; a reported confidential sale supplies no public delivery or acceptance baseline.
Integration and verification
Readiness
A technology readiness level is not established by the reviewed public sources.
Defence mine-countermeasure AUV suite may help teams working on Sovereign defence capability areas by contributing to detection and situational awareness, autonomous and uncrewed systems, and protection and survivability.
Defence mine-countermeasure AUV suite may help teams working on Persistent uncrewed underwater surveillance by contributing to maritime and undersea operations, detection and situational awareness, and autonomous and uncrewed systems.
This is a reviewed public-source assessment. It is not procurement eligibility, endorsement, customer interest, or classified demand.
Original sources 9 linked records
These records support this capability and its published Mission area and Defence need connections. A source count is not a count of independent confirmations.
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · technology readiness level
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · technical tags
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · technicaldomainslugs
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · technicaldomainslugs
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · commercial availability
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · name
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · defence applications
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · technical tags
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · technicaldomainslugs
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · core features
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · technicaldomainslugs
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · defence applications
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · capability type
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Supports: Capability · core features
Guardian table lists 11.7 m by 1.66 m, 300/1,000/3,000 m depth variants, battery 480 h/2,650 km and fuel-cell 925 h/5,000 km. The overview says 45 days, inconsistent with 925 h. Arctic-fleet prose lacks a named accepted deployment.
Supports: Capability · technical tags
Guardian formerly Solus-XR offers configurable twin2500L payload bays or singlebay, third-party autonomy, deployable off-platform assets and ship/shore launch. Optional ASW payloads and other naval functions are export/customer limited.
Cellula identifies Envoy and Guardian AUVs for minefield survey, mine detection and classification, and neutralization support as part of its long-endurance defence AUV portfolio.
Supports: Defence need · Sovereign defence capability areas
Cellula identifies Envoy and Guardian AUVs for minefield survey, mine detection and classification, and neutralization support as part of its long-endurance defence AUV portfolio.
Supports: Defence need · Persistent uncrewed underwater surveillance
Cellula identifies Envoy and Guardian AUVs for minefield survey, mine detection and classification, and neutralization support as part of its long-endurance defence AUV portfolio.
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · technicaldomainslugs
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Cellula Robotics USA Inc. says it will deliver a fuel-cell Guardian AUV under the Metron-led DIU CAMP prototype effort, with Schilling Robotics and other partners. The performing US entity and Guardian platform must be distinguished from a Canadian procurement award and Envoy test results.
Public sources cited · Facts and assessments kept separate · Human review
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · capability type
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · maturity
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · technical tags
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · name
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · defence applications
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · summary
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · technicaldomainslugs
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · technical tags
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · technical tags
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · technicaldomainslugs
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Supports: Capability · core features
Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron announced a ten-year framework combining COTS AUVs, mission autonomy, third-party payload integration and support for US defence customers. This partnership term is not a ten-year government purchase commitment or disclosed production volume.
Metron September14 2026 reports fabrication of Guardian-derived MOXSEA nose, tail and extended midsection for integrated Lancet; Cellula supplies platform, payload module, NautiGEN fuel-cell integration and vehicle engineering. March2027 demonstration remains scheduled.
Supports: Capability · summary
Cellula Robotics USA Inc. says it will deliver a fuel-cell Guardian AUV under the Metron-led DIU CAMP prototype effort, with Schilling Robotics and other partners. The performing US entity and Guardian platform must be distinguished from a Canadian procurement award and Envoy test results.
Supports: Capability · summary
March24 2026 release assigns Cellula Robotics USA Inc. delivery of fuel-cell Guardian under Metron-led DIU CAMP and says US execution involves Schilling Robotics, with engineers for integration, tests and support. It does not establish operational acceptance.
Cellula August26 2025 release announces one Guardian sale to a confidential defence customer; customeridentity,contractvalue,deliverydate and acceptance results are not provided.
Supports: Capability · maturity
Cellula August26 2025 release announces one Guardian sale to a confidential defence customer; customeridentity,contractvalue,deliverydate and acceptance results are not provided.
Supports: Capability · summary
Cellula August26 2025 release announces one Guardian sale to a confidential defence customer; customeridentity,contractvalue,deliverydate and acceptance results are not provided.
Metron announces a DIU Prototype Other Transaction Agreement for Lancet under CAMP, naming Cellula Robotics USA, Integer Technologies and General Dynamics Applied Physical Sciences. The prime release dates the prototype award to December 2025; Cellula March 2026 news is later participation reporting, not a second award.
Supports: Capability · core features
Metron announces a DIU Prototype Other Transaction Agreement for Lancet under CAMP, naming Cellula Robotics USA, Integer Technologies and General Dynamics Applied Physical Sciences. The prime release dates the prototype award to December 2025; Cellula March 2026 news is later participation reporting, not a second award.
Supports: Defence need · Sovereign defence capability areas
Canada needs secure strategic autonomy and reliable access to capabilities that are critical to defending its sovereignty and meeting allied commitments, while reducing exposure to foreign supply-chain and intellectual-property dependencies.
Supports: Defence need · Sovereign defence capability areas
Reviewer synthesis of the public end state: Canada can build, sustain or control priority aerospace, ammunition, digital, in-service support, sensor, space, specialized manufacturing, training and uncrewed capabilities through domestic strength, trusted partnerships and sovereign access.
Supports: Defence need · Persistent uncrewed underwater surveillance
The official requirement calls for long-duration uncrewed vehicles that deploy and employ sensors to provide persistent coverage, with initial delivery anticipated in 2035/2036.
Supports: Defence need · Persistent uncrewed underwater surveillance
The project requires persistent sensor coverage in strategic northern, coastal and expeditionary areas and identifies sonar and acoustic systems among the relevant investment capabilities.
