It's an all-USV roundup this week with news on developments in the US and Germany. Interestingly, all but one of the featured craft are being designed and built in fulfilment of US Defense Department requirements.
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has confirmed plans for the production of four new unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) by Breaux Brothers Enterprises in Louisiana in addition to the USV from the same series currently under construction.
The craft belong to a modular family of AI-enabled USVs designed to meet current and emerging requirements for the US Navy, the US Marine Corps, joint forces, and allied partners.
HII said the platform will support a wide range of missions, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; mine countermeasures; strike operations; counter-unmanned systems operations; and launch and recovery of unmanned underwater and aerial vehicles.
Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA) and autonomous maritime company Magnet Defense have established a partnership to produce medium unmanned surface vessels (MUSVs) for the US Department of War.
The partnership will include several potential projects, such as producing 38-metre MUSVs.
The base platform will be Magnet Defense’s inaugural MUSV, which has a range of 17,000 nautical miles, the longest range of any MUSV at sea today, according to HDUSA.
BlackSea Technologies has announced the introduction of two new small unmanned surface vessels.
The company stated that the modular model is an adaptable platform for varying mission demands, while the larger variant is a high-speed vessel designed to bridge a gap between small tactical vessels and larger unmanned combat craft for combat-ready applications.
The modular model is intended to expand payload capacity and range while maintaining rapid deployability, according to the company. BlackSea Technologies stated that the vessel meets a requirement to fit inside a 20-foot shipping container.
Saildrone has released the design for a new series of high-speed unmanned surface vessels intended for naval operations. The craft measures 52 metres (170 feet) in length and weighs 250 tonnes, making it the largest platform developed by the company.
Capable of speeds up to 30 knots (55.6 kilometres per hour), the vessel is designed for anti-submarine warfare and strike roles. The platform uses a wing system for silent propulsion alongside a diesel engine capable of 5,000 horsepower (3,728.5 kilowatts).
Richard Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer of Saildrone, explained that the vessel was evolved over multiple years to meet operational requirements and fill critical capability gaps. He stated that the design was not hurriedly readied for a specific request but was based on "lessons from real-world experience."
Series production of a new type of unmanned surface vehicle (USV) has begun at Rheinmetall’s Blohm+Voss site in Hamburg, Germany.
Rheinmetall’s new Rheinmetall Naval Systems division, together with its British joint venture partner the Kraken Technology Group, will offer the USVs for both military and civilian applications.
Depending on the configuration, the vessels can be used for maritime surveillance, protection of critical infrastructure, or as weapons carriers in military operations.