Marine intelligence company Saildrone has just put the first of a new generation of Surveyor autonomous ships into the water: an aluminum version that the Navy is eager to exploit. But don’t worry – they won’t point a gun at them.
Founder and CEO Richard Jenkins told TechCrunch that demand for ships like the SailDrone will only continue to grow.
“We expect that ocean observations will continue to grow in size, complexity and quality. Aerial, ground-based and subsurface technologies all have a role to play in ocean observations,” he said.
The 20-meter-long SD-3000 is similar to earlier versions of the Surveyor currently sailing the oceans and collecting data, but this one has an aluminum hull, while other versions use fiberglass/carbon composite. However, the wing (or sail, but the sail is fabric) is still composite.
“Aluminum was chosen for the hull and keel due to its robustness, longevity in a marine environment, cost and ability to be mass produced quickly in a large factory like Aosta,” Jenkins said. “We don’t have a composites production facility of this size in the United States.”
Image Source: sailboat
Recently, we’ve seen startup Syrenna and non-profit organization Cerulean demonstrate the value of semi-fixed observations and satellite observations respectively.
“Unmanned surface vehicles can provide high-resolution data from above and below the sea surface simultaneously. These data have much higher spatial and temporal resolution than data obtained from satellites, and the extreme range and endurance allow continuous measurements well beyond the AUV. “range,” Jenkins explained – the ship’s sonar can go up to 11,000 meters, which should be enough. “We see Saildrone as an integral part of the ecosystem, not only collecting data but also providing high-bandwidth satellite communications and even physical transmission to other systems.”
Improved ocean intelligence is an enabler for climate science, international logistics, law enforcement, and, of course, military affairs. The Navy is a special customer for the brand-new ship; Adm. Lisa Franchetti noted that the unmanned aerial vehicle simply gets the manned vehicle where it needs to go, rather than performing tasks that can be automated, such as continuous observation.
So far, however, no one has suggested weaponizing Saildrone ships. This may not be possible – weapons platforms would need to be designed from the ground up for combat, while Surveyors (as hinted in the name) are more focused on information gathering.
Aosta Line expects to be able to deploy a surveyor every six weeks from the outset. The SD-3000 and some of its aluminum counterparts under development will be detailed for the Navy to test its ability to generate surface and undersea intelligence for a range of high-priority applications, including anti-submarine warfare.
