VESSEL REVIEW | X-Wave 01 – Compact, durable USV for patrol, monitoring and survey missions
UK-based autonomous marine surveillance company Stormborn has introduced a new unmanned surface vehicle (USV) capable of operating under a broad range of sea states.
X-Wave 01 was manufactured at Stormborn's facilities in Denmark and is the company's first commercial vessel. It is capable of sustained patrol and survey missions even in harsh environments thanks to its systems that ensure continuous autonomous domain awareness for up to 365 days.
The craft can therefore operate under a broader weather safety window compared to traditional manned patrol and survey vessels of similar size.
Lightweight, modular build to satisfy diverse operational requirements
Stormborn said the USV combines mission endurance, operational flexibility, payload capacity, and low cost. As a long-endurance craft, it is capable of delivering continuous monitoring and protection of territorial waters and critical infrastructure.
The USV is also light enough to be road transportable, providing operators with greater flexibility in deployment.
The craft’s modular construction allows various payload and structural configurations to be implemented depending on mission requirements. Swapping of hull segments and equipment can be done quickly, resulting in shorter turnarounds and faster deployments.
In the case of X-Wave 01, the electronics include a Terma radar, which can deliver accurate situational awareness. The USV's radar can be integrated with existing coastal radar systems, thus providing more comprehensive over-the-horizon coverage for operational commanders.
The USV also boasts counter-unmanned aerial system capability, thanks to a system provided by MyDefence. Teledyne Marine meanwhile supplied a passive acoustic monitoring array, which will enable the craft to detect and monitor underwater activity.
Other electronics that can be installed on the USV include electro-optical/infrared sensors and AIS. Among the craft’s equipment are winches, a subsea gondola, and an autonomous launch and recovery system for use with smaller unmanned vehicles.
Can be operated as part of an integrated USV fleet
The data collected by the sensors can be transmitted in real time, and this is aided by Stormborn’s cloud-based system. The latter provides intelligent control, live data feeds, and client-specific access.
The system’s architecture will allow it to be used to operate multiple USVs simultaneously, which can then yield benefits such as more comprehensive surveys being done within the same period across the same area, and better coverage during continuous patrols and surveillance missions.
The USV was built with full redundancy, allowing as much data as possible to be collected even in the event of failure of some of the craft's primary systems.
X-Wave 01 was built in compliance with commercial class society standards to guarantee suitability for commercial applications in the offshore energy and scientific research sectors. Also, the sensor fitout can be configured to permit use for defence and security roles.
