UK defence innovation funding is supporting a new approach to underwater mission assurance that relies on autonomy rather than continuous communications. For operators and managers of uncrewed assets, the trial offers a glimpse of how surface and subsurface systems could be overseen with less operational burden and risk.
Shipowners and managers involved in uncrewed and defence related operations are increasingly grappling with a simple but critical question. How do you remain confident that underwater assets are present and performing as intended when direct communications are limited or deliberately avoided.
A new programme supported by Defence and Security Accelerator is exploring an answer. The initiative brings together ZeroUSV, Oshen and MarineAI to develop and trial a communications capability designed to support underwater missions.
At the centre of the project is ZeroUSV’s 12 metre Oceanus12 uncrewed surface vessel. The platform will autonomously deploy a constellation of Oshen’s C Star sail powered drones, which will hold station across an area of 10 square miles. Acting as passive listeners, the C Stars will form a distributed acoustic network capable of providing assurance of sub surface asset status without relying on direct, high bandwidth links.
The need is becoming more acute as navies expand their use of uncrewed underwater systems, including the Royal Navy’s Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle XV Excalibur. Maintaining confidence in asset status while avoiding detectable communications is a growing operational challenge.
Matthew Ratsey, co founder and managing director at ZeroUSV, said: “Underwater operations depend on knowing where assets are and whether they’re operating as intended, but direct communications aren’t always an option. This project lets us explore a different approach, using Oceanus12 to place a small constellation of surface vessels that can listen passively and provide assurance without compromising the mission.”
From an integration and autonomy perspective, MarineAI’s GuardianAI suite will enable Oceanus12 to plan, deploy and operate cooperatively. Oliver Thompson, director of engineering at MarineAI, said: “Through the GuardianAI suite, we will help enable Oceanus12 to plan, deploy and operate cooperatively.”
The 10 month programme will move through design, integration and sea trials, with outcomes expected to inform future UK and allied underwater operations. For those managing fleets of uncrewed assets, the work highlights a shift towards assurance models that rely more on intelligent coordination and less on constant connectivity.
