A South African-developed USV has completed undergoing sea trials while development continues on autonomous craft for operation in Italy and the United States. One US-designed vehicle can even attach itself to a larger vessel's hull for continuous monitoring.
Sea Machines has entered the final competitive evaluation phase for a major autonomous new-build vessel programme for the US Navy. The company is developing a new autonomous surface ship to meet requirements for the modular attack surface combatant programme.
Since its formation in 2015, the company stated it has spent ten years developing and deploying marine autonomy across global fleets. It has invested more than $50 million in venture-backed capital to develop and harden a fully integrated autonomy stack.
The company noted that this investment addressed the integration of software and hardware for unmanned surface vessels. It added that the vessel class is engineered for modern naval operations using an AI-enabled remote command architecture.
Italy's Piloda Shipyard, through its Piloda Defence division, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Turkish defence shipbuilder Havelsan and VN Maritime Technologies regarding collaboration on the development, integration and commercialisation of unmanned and hybrid (manned–unmanned) maritime platforms tailored for the Italian market.
Within the scope of the MOU, Piloda Defence and VN Maritime have been authorised as Havelsan's exclusive representatives and industrial partners for all unmanned surface vehicle (USV) projects in Italy.
Accordingly, engagements with Italian defence authorities, coast guard units, public institutions, and private sector stakeholders regarding USV opportunities will be carried out through the VN Maritime–Piloda partnership framework.
Intermarine announced that it has started the development of a modular unmanned surface vehicle for the Italian Navy to support underwater operations and infrastructure protection. The project is intended to assist the navy's new minehunters in clearing mined areas and monitoring seabed assets like oil pipelines and data networks, the company stated.
The drone is part of a wider modernisation programme launched last year to replace existing mine countermeasure units. Intermarine said the design uses advanced composite construction techniques to ensure high levels of autonomy and resilience.
These vessels will be capable of operating autonomously or via remote control to expand the operational reach of larger naval units. The craft are sized to be transported by various ships using existing spaces designed for manned rigid-hulled inflatable boats, according to the company.
US defence technology company Lockheed Martin recently unveiled a new type of multi-mission autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
Lamprey was built to satisfy the US Navy's need for an AUV capable of covert, assured access and sea denial operations.
Lockheed Martin said the AUV can arrive in-theatre with a fully charged battery. Mimicking nature, it can attach itself onto the hull of a host surface vessel or submarine, utilise hydrogenators to charge batteries, and arrive in-theatre ready for operational missions.
Sea Serpent, South Africa's first locally designed unmanned surface vehicle (USV), has successfully completed its sea acceptance trials.
The craft was developed through a collaboration between Noble Concentric Solutions, Legacy Marine, and Icarus Marine. It features IMO Level IV autonomous navigation, allowing it to interpret environments and avoid obstacles with minimal human intervention.
A sophisticated sensor suite and over-the-horizon communication links enable persistent surveillance.
The USV can be used in both security and underwater survey applications.