Maritime attack drone delivered to US Defense Department

A new type of autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) designed for maritime attack missions was recently procured by the US Department of Defense (DOD).

Built by Florida-based unmanned systems specialist Maritime Tactical Systems (MARTAC), the 18-foot (5.5-metre) ASV was designed as a low-cost, attritable system for use on one-way missions. It is a high-performance monohull craft capable of burst speeds in excess of 50 knots, open ocean cruising ranges of up to 500 nautical miles, and a maximum payload capacity of 1000 pounds (450 kg).

MARTAC said the ASV was designed and developed from concept to allow operators to execute missions accommodating a variety of payloads, kinetics, and kill systems in a low-cost platform that allows for broad acquisition and adoption of an asymmetric capability against conventional naval assets.

The DOD ASV also features MARTAC’s proprietary base autonomy stack. This means the craft can be controlled remotely by a human operator, though it is designed to be a fully autonomous vessel with operator intervention possible at any time during a mission.