Navy, Army seeking obstacle avoidance systems for high-speed watercraft

By Justin Katz / February 21, 2020 at 2:51 PM

The Pentagon is soliciting industry and academia for surveillance technology that will enable high-speed watercraft to detect and avoid obstacles at or near the water's surface, according to a notice published today by the Defense Department.

In conjunction with the Army and the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering, the Navy is interested in conducting capability demonstrations through the Stiletto Maritime Demonstration Program.

"The objective of this CD is to evaluate mounted surveillance systems and their ability to detect objects fully and partially submerged to include mines, debris . . . and moving objects ranging in size, at high speeds in shallow waters, and provide near-real time data," according to the notice.

The demonstrations are scheduled to take place between July 27 and Aug. 7 in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

Technology demos will be conducted through the program’s "high speed Stiletto craft" which has a "Command Information Center, Launch and Recovery for an 11M Rigid Inflatable Boat, arch space for sensors, flight deck for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle L&R, and electronic network infrastructure with wide band SATCOM," the solicitation says.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock division will manage the program. The assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering's Rapid Reaction Technology Office is the demonstration's sponsor.

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