The Navy has completed a congressionally directed testing milestone in its development of unmanned surface vessels, successfully demonstrating 720 hours -- 30 days -- of continuous USV engine operation with no human intervention on six different engine systems, the service announced yesterday.
This testing, mandated by the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, requires the Navy to complete the 720-hour power demonstration on USV engine systems before they are eligible for use on large USVs. To pass, the engine equipment must run for the full 30-day duration with no human intervention, including corrective or preventative maintenance.
The demonstration is part of a larger USV testing effort meant to ensure engine systems are capable of autonomous operations for extended periods, the Navy announcement states.
The Navy and a series of industry partners completed the 720-hour test on six separate engine systems over the past year, clearing each of them for use in future large USV development.
The sixth and final test, which ran from June 19 to Sept. 5, evaluated the MTU 8V4000M24S engine model. The demonstration was run at Daimler Trucks North America Aftermarket Solutions in Tooele, UT and was conducted by Precise Power Systems on behalf of Austal USA, with Navy oversight.
“This milestone marks a pivotal advancement in our naval strategy, as it enhances our capabilities in unmanned operations," said Rear. Adm. Kevin Smith, the head of the Navy’s unmanned and small combatants program office, in a statement included in the announcement.
"Successfully demonstrating a power system that can sustain autonomous operations for 30 days without maintenance not only bolsters our readiness but also sets the stage for a truly integrated manned-unmanned fleet, ensuring we remain at the forefront of maritime innovation,” Smith’s statement continues.
In December 2023, the 1550 kw Caterpillar 3512C model engine became the first to reach the milestone in a demonstration run by Bollinger and Carter Machinery on behalf of Caterpillar in Chesapeake, VA, according to the Navy announcement.
The Caterpillar 2300 kW rated 3516 main propulsion diesel, lube oil and fuel system was also successful in a demonstration run by Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Carter Machinery on behalf of Caterpillar.
The Southwest Research Institute and Gibbs & Cox on behalf of Cummins completed the demonstration with the QSK95 diesel engine paired with an ABB AMG 0560M04 LAE generator.
HII and the Coast Guard validated the MTU 20V 4000 M93L main propulsion diesel engine configuration on behalf of MTU, while L3Harris validated the QSK60 diesel engine and QSM11 marine diesel generator set for Cummins.