U.S Navy Successfully Hits 720-Hour Milestone In Unmanned Surface Vessel Testing

The development of the next-generation manned-unmanned Hybrid Fleet concept and the continuous expansion of unmanned operations depend heavily on the engine plants’ ability to operate for prolonged periods of time at sea without the need for human intervention.

A congressional mandate in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 required the generator test, stating that the Navy had to reach the 720-hour test milestone before the Large USV entered formal development. Prior to the 720-hour demonstration stage, there were 100 hours of pre-testing as part of the testing mandated by Congress. No human involvement or preventative/corrective maintenance on the equipment was permitted during the demonstration period.

Bollinger and Carter Machinery conducted this land-based test in Chesapeake, Virginia, for Caterpillar. The successful test completion was overseen by the Navy’s Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office (PMS 406) and the Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants (abbreviated the PEO USC). The thorough testing proved that the 1550 kW Caterpillar 3512C model engine was mechanically reliable enough to satisfy the 30-day operation requirements of an autonomous ship.

As part of the Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations strategy, the LUSV will provide the Fleet with additional missile magazine capacity. The LUSV has been envisioned to have a length of more than 200 feet and a displacement capacity of roughly 1,500 tons when fully loaded. LUSVs are designed to be modular, low-cost, and high-endurance USVs that can carry a range of payloads.

Six contracts for LUSV conceptual design were given out in 2020 to improve program specifications and collaborate with the industry to get input on LUSV requirements. After 720 hours of no-touch electricity generating and distribution system demonstration, the Bollinger team is the first to finish. It can be utilized with the LUSV program. In an attempt to achieve the 720-hour performance criteria, five LUSV teams are testing their engine systems.

Reference: Naval News

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