In late May of this year, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) issued a broad agency announcement (BAA) seeking the rapid design, build, and testing of an ultra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (UL-AUV)
In late May of this year, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) issued a broad agency announcement (BAA) seeking the rapid design, build, and testing of an ultra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (UL-AUV) capable of conducting long-range, high-endurance missions while carrying large modular payloads. The initial demonstrator vehicle, "Ocean Explorer" (OEX), will establish the technical feasibility of such an unprecedented platform, and will also inform development of the associated infrastructure required to support a full squadron of UL-AUVs. ONR is also seeking unspecificed, innovative UL-AUV-related technologies, as well as rapid design and fabrication capabilities.
Interestingly, the call for a jumbo AUV comes as the Navy's extra-large (Orca) and large (Snakehead) AUV programs are suffering from significant cost overruns, technical issues, and programmatic uncertainty, and as the U.S. submarine workforce is struggling to meet demand for Virginia and Columbia-class hulls. Snakehead’s fate has largely been sealed; the prototype vehicle is now designated as a test platform and is unlikely to transition to a program of record, while the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has awarded prototype contracts for commercial off the shelf (COTS) large AUVs to Kongsberg, Oceaneering, and Anduril Industries A recent GAO report indicated that Orca continues to suffer from delays and
Content Original Link:
" target="_blank">
