Article Posted on : - Aug 22, 2012

An artist's concept of the anti-submarine warfare continuous trail unmanned vessel (ACTUV). A DARPA photo

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA (BNS): US defence research agency DARPA has awarded a contract to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to develop an unmanned vessel that will track and quell the threat of a quiet diesel-electric submarine cruising near national waters.

The contract, worth $58.4 million, was awarded to SAIC on August 14 for the second, third and fourth phases of the anti-submarine warfare continuous trail unmanned vessel (ACTUV) programme, DARPA said.

The ACTUV programme envisions the design, construction and demonstration of an unmanned vessel that can track enemy's diesel electric submarines for months at a time spanning thousands of kilometers of ocean with minimal human input.

"Key features and technology for the vessel include advanced software, robust autonomy for safe operations in accordance with maritime laws, and innovative sensors to continuously track the quietest of submarine targets," DARPA programme manager Scott Littlefield said.

If successful, the ACTUV would create a technological strategic advantage against the burgeoning quiet submarine threat and reduce manpower and other costs associated with current ASW trail operations.

While the ACTUV programme is focused on demonstrating anti-submarine warfare (ASW) tracking capability in this configuration, the core platform and autonomy technologies are broadly extendable to underpin a wide range of missions and configurations for future unmanned naval vessels, the defence agency said.

During the first phase of the programme, SAIC has proposed a trimaran platform for the vessel, its key features and innovations, sensors, autonomy and software.

The first phase has refined and validated the system concept, completing risk reduction testing associated with submarine tracking sensors and maritime autonomy, DARPA said.

Operational prototype at-sea testing of the new unmanned submarine-hunter is expected in mid-2015.