The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has christened the USX-1 Defiant, a first-of-its-kind autonomous unmanned surface vessel. A simplified hull design allows rapid production and maintenance in nearly any port facility or Tier III shipyard that traditionally supports yacht, tug, and workboat customers.
The ceremony took place on 11 August at Everett Ship Repair in Everett, Washington. The vessel was designed from the ground up to never accommodate a human aboard and is a demonstrator for the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) programme. The NOMARS programme aims to minimise the need for “optionally manned” vessels and safely demonstrate the reliability and capability of fully unmanned systems to strengthen the US’ defence industrial base.
Also read: Kongsberg delivers first HUGIN AUV to US Navy
For US Navy
The 55-metre long, 240-metric-tonne lightship is completing final systems testing in preparation for an extended at-sea demonstration of reliability and endurance. The vessel has a top speed of 20 knots.
After completing the at-sea demonstration, Defiant will be turned over to the US Navy’s Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office (PMS 406). Upon transition to PMS 406, Defiant will be the US Navy’s first solely autonomous (vs. hybrid manned-unmanned) medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV).
DARPA is working closely with the Navy to identify a pathway to ensure capabilities and technologies demonstrated throughout the NOMARS programme are accessible for rapid transition and integration, are scalable, and support international defense partnerships. In the reconciliation bill, which passed in July of this year, Congress appropriated USD 2.1 billion ‘for development, procurement, and integration of purpose-built medium unmanned surface vessels.’
Also read: Dutch Naval Design to supply USVs to Dutch navy
Extended voyages in rough seas
‘Defiant is a tough little ship and defies the idea that we cannot make a ship that can operate in the challenging environment of the open ocean without people to operate her,’ says NOMARS Programme Manager Greg Avicola. ‘While relatively small, Defiant is designed for extended voyages in the open ocean, can handle operations in sea state 5 with no degradation and survive much higher seas, continuing operations once the storm passes. She’s no wider than she must be to fit the largest piece of hardware and we have no human passageways to worry about.’
DARPA Director Stephen Winchell adds: ‘Defiant class vessels provide cost-effective, survivable, manufacturable, maintainable, long-range, autonomous, and distributed platforms, which will create future naval lethality, sensing, and logistics. Defiant will protect and expand the capabilities of manned ships, multiply combat power at low cost, and unlock new American maritime industrial capacity.’
Picture: The NOMARS programme demonstrator vessel, USX-1 Defiant, conducts in-water testing in the Puget Sound (photo by Serco North America, supplied by DARPA).
