DARPA transfers ACTUV prototype to ONR
DARPA has completed the Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) programme and transferred the technology demonstration vessel to the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
Known as Sea Hunter, the vessel will now undergo further development with ONR as part of work to develop a new class of ocean-going vessel able to navigate thousands of kilometers over open seas for months at a time, without a crew member onboard as the Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV).
The ACTUV prototype has been in development since 2014. The vessel has undergone at-sea testing of its sensing and autonomy suites, and has passed progressively challenging tests to integrate the suites and use them to comply with International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea in operationally realistic scenarios.
The agencies also conducted tests to prove the flexibility of the vessel's design to handle diverse missions by switching between modular payloads.
ONR is planning to conduct additional at-sea tests to further develop automated payload and sensor data processing, new mission-specific autonomous behaviours, and explore autonomous coordination among multiple USVs.
After successful test results, the vessel could be transitioned for US Navy operations.
Fred Kennedy, director, Tactical Technology Office, DARPA, said: ‘ACTUV represents a new vision of naval surface warfare that trades small numbers of very capable, high-value assets for large numbers of commoditized, simpler platforms that are more capable in the aggregate.
‘The US military has talked about the strategic importance of replacing ‘king’ and ‘queen’ pieces on the maritime chessboard with lots of ‘pawns’, and ACTUV is a first step toward doing exactly that.’
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Maris-Tech confirms customers signing up for Jupiter Drones codec and AI-powered system]()
Maris-Tech confirms customers signing up for Jupiter Drones codec and AI-powered system
Launched at AUSA in October, the company’s multi-stream video codec is attempting to bring a new lease of life to drone technology through its AI accelerator.
-
![AUSA 2024: Quantum-Systems targets big 2025 with UAS developments]()
AUSA 2024: Quantum-Systems targets big 2025 with UAS developments
Quantum-Systems has been upgrading its UAS family, with new versions of the Vector, Reliant and Twister drones set for release throughout 2025.
-
![US Army accelerates acquisition and field of company-level sUAS]()
US Army accelerates acquisition and field of company-level sUAS
The service has been using a Directed Requirement (DR) approach to speed up the deployment of a Medium Range Reconnaissance capability.
-
![AeroVironment to display eVTOL P550 at AUSA 2024]()
AeroVironment to display eVTOL P550 at AUSA 2024
AeroVironment’s portfolio will grow thanks to the eVTOL P550 aimed at battalion-level tactical forces.
-
![Australia’s air force aims its UAV fleet northwards]()
Australia’s air force aims its UAV fleet northwards
The Royal Australian Air Force is advancing its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities across three key programmes as it works with the likes of Boeing and Northrop Grumman to reshape Australia’s defence strategy.
-
![FTUAS competitor trials were “very successful”, says US Army official]()
FTUAS competitor trials were “very successful”, says US Army official
Prototypes from Griffon Aerospace and Textron Systems recently passed through MOSA conformance trials and flight tests.
