The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has conducted a test to evaluate the performance of its new unmanned surface vessel, or USV.
The agency said Thursday DARPA’s No Manning Required Ship, or NOMARS, program completed the first at-sea test of the USV Defiant. The U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office, or PMS-406, and USV Squadron 1 collaborated to conduct the demonstration.
USV Defiant Test Process
The Navy’s experimental USVs, Ranger and Mariner, were used for the at-sea test. The Ranger acted as the receiving station of the Defiant, while the Mariner carried a customized refueling mini-station from Serco Inc., the NOMARS prime contractor.
The test showed that all parts of the refueling operation worked as expected. The team was able to pass the lead line to the refueling side, connect the refueling probe and pump water.
The USV Defiant
The USV Defiant is an unmanned 240-metric-ton lightship being developed for extended autonomous operations at sea. It is expected to be completed and deployed for an extended sea demonstration by spring 2025.
Current fueling at sea, or FAS, methods require people to manage the lines and hose which is quite challenging. NOMARS is working on an unmanned refueling concept of operations to keep personnel safe.
