France’s ECA Group has unveiled its new generation mid-size AUV A18-M for underwater mine warfare.
Built for “efficient mine detection and classification in all water depths up to 300m,” AUV A18-M is specifically designed to operate in the close vicinity of the smartest mines without triggering them, according to ECA Group.
Regarding AUV A18-M, ECA Group says that “with its compactness and its unequaled high-quality imagery this new generation underwater drone becomes the reference in the category of autonomous underwater vehicles dedicated to mine hunting.”
Maritime
Maritime
Royal Canadian Navy acquires AeroVironment's Puma II AE UAS
AeroVironment, Inc. and MDA, a Maxar Technologies company, have announced that the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has acquired the AeroVironment Puma II AE, which is a maritime mini UAS. MDA partnered with AeroVironment to satisfy the requirement of the Department of National Defence of Canada for the Maritime Miniature Unmanned Aircraft System (MMUAS).
The UAS will be fielded aboard RCN Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDV), and will include the Mantis i45 sensor and a 360-degree antenna system, which will enhance the Puma II AE's ability to support maritime operations.
From Unmanned Systems Magazine —Unmanned systems a valuable part of port security
Terrorist attacks come in all forms, and the worldwide shipping industry is scrambling to find safe harbors.
In June 2017, the Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk was crippled by a massive cyberattack that hit 17 of its terminals worldwide, including one of its busiest on the west coast.
The twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together make for the nation’s largest and busiest seaport, handling nearly 40 percent of all American imported goods. The Maersk attack forced an unprecedented three-day closure of the Port of L.A.’s largest terminal.
Military moving fast to field advanced technology, speakers say
The U.S. military is committed to moving faster to get high technology into the field, according to several speakers at the opening day of AUVSI Unmanned Systems Defense. Protection. Security in Maryland.
“We need new unmanned systems, fast,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command.
The USMC is going back to its early days of being a highly experimental command, Walsh said, resurrecting its Sea Dragon series of exercises and putting a variety of off-the-shelf systems into demonstrations to see how they fare.
DARPA successfully completes ACTUV program, ACTUV "Sea Hunter" Prototype transitions to ONR
DARPA has announced that it has successfully completed its Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program.
The technology demonstration vessel, christened Sea Hunter, has officially been transferred to the Office of Naval Research (ONR). ONR will continue developing the vehicle, which is described as “the first of what could ultimately become an entirely new class of ocean-going vessel able to traverse thousands of kilometers over open seas for months at a time, without a single crew member aboard—as the Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV).”
ASV Global's autonomous C-Worker 7 supports Subsea 7
ASV Global has announced that one of its C-Worker 7 class of autonomous surface vessels was successfully deployed for Subsea 7, which is a subsea engineering, construction and services company. The C-Worker 7 was used to support a pipelay operation off the coast of Egypt.
The C-Worker 7, which was equipped with a survey suite made up of a multibeam echosounder and side scan sonar, conducted touchdown monitoring in support of the Seven Antares pipelay vessel.
“The C-Worker 7 has proven to be a very capable vessel providing an excellent stable survey platform controlled by the Pipelay Vessel,” says a spokesperson from Subsea 7.
Saab to demonstrate acoustic target for U.S. Navy
Saab has announced that it will demonstrate its anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training system, the AUV62-AT (acoustic target), for the U.S. Navy this summer.
The AUV62-AT, an artificial acoustic system that mimics a submarine, will be evaluated by the Navy against Naval systems through the Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Program. The AUV62-AT will be operated by Navy personnel, with Saab engineers there to support it if there is any maintenance required.
“With submarine usage on the rise, anti-submarine warfare training is more crucial than ever,” says Görgen Johansson, senior vice president and head of Saab´s Business Area Dynamics.
Finalists for Innovation Challenge at AUVSI USDPS announced
Overwatch Imaging, Ghost Robotics, Planck Aerosystems, SubUAS LLC and CVEDIA are the five finalists for the inaugural Innovation Challenge at AUVSI Unmanned Systems—Defense. Protection. Security. (USDPS).
These companies were selected from a field of more than 30 startups that applied, and cover the gamut of unmanned systems, including air, ground and maritime.
Overwatch Imaging specializes in precision aerial photography from small- and medium-sized UAS, with a focus on intelligent multi-band mapping and auto-detection on long endurance UAS.
Ghost Robotics develops legged robotics that can be used in various settings, including unstructured and vertical terrain, and harsh environments.
Riptide announces expansion of UUV payload options
Riptide Autonomous Solutions says that the ease of integration of payloads into its product line of UUVs “has been a key value proposition for diverse customers,” and this flexibility was recently demonstrated by the quick integration of a new sonar and a WiFi data system.
Recently, Riptide took part in a US SOCOM effort to evaluate diver assistance aids. During this program, a Klein 3500 Combined Side Scan and Interferometric Sonar was integrated into a Riptide 1MP 1 Man Portable 7.5” (190mm) diameter UUV/AUV in less than four working days. Successful field demonstrations followed this quick integration.