VESSEL REVIEW | Venom – Naval USV for interception, surveillance and logistics duties

Massachusetts-based autonomous systems specialist Scientific Systems recently introduced a new small unmanned surface vehicle (USV) designed to address the US Navy’s operational need for an unmanned interceptor craft.

Scientific Systems has designated the craft as a "vehicle for expeditionary naval over-the-horizon missions" (Venom). The company said the USV has demonstrated its seakeeping performance and autonomy behaviours during sea trials and is now available for procurement by the US Department of Defense (DOD) and other government agencies.

Autonomous multi-mission platform

Venom has been developed as a multi-mission, 30-foot (9.1-metre) USV featuring a durable HDPE hull resistant to fouling and corrosion and powered by an OXE 300hp (200kW) diesel outboard engine and an AGM battery. The craft can achieve a sprint speed of over 35 knots and a range of 500 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 24 knots in moderate sea states.

A draught of only 2.7 feet (0.8 metre) meanwhile ensures suitability for shallow and restrictive waters.

The USV also has autonomous navigation capability and can even loiter for up to 130 hours, which Scientific Systems said surpasses the expected requirements of the US Navy. It can autonomously transit through contested water space, avoiding static and moving obstacles, loiter in an assigned operating area while monitoring for maritime surface threats, and then sprinting to interdict a non-cooperative, manoeuvring vessel.

The autonomous navigation system also provides a return-to-origin capability, mission planning tools, and tracking and monitoring of up to 30 targets.

Scientific Systems said the USV is ideal for a range of missions including force protection (kinetic and non-kinetic); persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; contested logistics; and maritime security patrols. Various payloads totalling 700 lb (300 kg) can be carried.

The craft’s electronics include a Furuno X-band radar, a Silvus radio, a Starlink satellite terminal, a Teledyne FLIR thermal camera, and Axis electro-optical/infrared cameras. One of the cameras boasts pan-tilt-zoom capability and offers high pixel count imaging for detailed analysis of distant targets, supporting long-range detection and identification tasks.

Some of the electronics are mounted in a dedicated enclosure and on a sensor mast that have been built as pre-assembled modules. These sub-assemblies are integrated with the HDPE hull.

Compact craft adaptable to swarm operations

The USV’s architecture will enable mission-level collaboration amongst large numbers of autonomous vessels, making it suitable for large-scale USV operations such as those conducted by the US Navy.

Aiding the craft in this regard is Scientific Systems’ proprietary collaborative mission autonomy software, which can interpret a commander’s intent and execute actions accordingly, enabling scalable swarms of uncrewed vehicles to share information amongst themselves, prioritise objectives, and adapt to mission conditions.

The USV’s compact size permits its transport (along with a field repair kit) via a standard 40-foot container or overland via trailer. It can also be deployed directly into the water from the stern dock of an amphibious warship.

Development of Venom was undertaken jointly with HDPE boatbuilder Tideman Marine and autonomous systems specialist Sea Machines Robotics. Scientific Systems said the three companies are prepared to rapidly scale delivery of the USV to meet anticipated DOD needs.