The US Navy’s dream of robot warships just got a whole lot closer to reality!
As announced last Friday, March 22, four companies are now in the fast lane to providing the Navy with its next-gen fighting machines on wheels—well, propellers—after acing some extremely tough engine tests.
Congress mandated the engine trials, which were a critical hurdle for companies competing for a piece of the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) program.
Each contender’s proposed engine system faced a demanding 720-hour test, simulating real-world conditions of a 30-day unmanned mission.
Crucially, the engines had to function flawlessly without human intervention or maintenance throughout the entire period.
Four Teams Power Through the Challenge
Four companies emerged victorious from this rigorous testing phase:
Bollinger Shipyards demonstrated the resilience of their Caterpillar 3512C model engine, becoming the first to complete the challenge.
Fincantieri Marinette Marine followed suit, proving the reliability of their Caterpillar 3516 engine.
Gibbs & Cox successfully showcased the capabilities of their Cummins QSK95 diesel engine paired with an ABB generator.
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), in collaboration with the US Coast Guard, successfully tested the MTU 20V 4000 M93L engine.
These triumphs by the four teams pave the way for their engine configurations to be considered for the LUSV program, bringing them a significant step closer to potentially equipping the Navy’s future unmanned warships.
The Vision for a Hybrid Fleet
The LUSV program envisions the development of a state-of-the-art, 200- to 300-foot-long (61- to 91-meter) autonomous vessel capable of undertaking various critical missions.
These unmanned ships are projected to play a key role in electronic warfare, anti-surface warfare, and even land-attack operations, significantly enhancing the Navy’s operational reach and flexibility.
Captain Scot Searles, program manager, hailed the successful engine tests as a pivotal moment for the LUSV program.
He emphasized the collaborative spirit between the Navy and its industry partners, highlighting their combined expertise as a driving force behind overcoming the demanding challenges of the engine trials.
“We are pleased with the results and look forward to continuing our work with industry to forge the future Hybrid Fleet,” Searles remarked, underscoring the Navy’s vision for a future where manned and unmanned vessels operate seamlessly together.
LUSVs: A Key Piece of the Distributed Maritime Operations Puzzle
The LUSVs are envisioned as low-cost, modular additions to the fleet, offering high endurance and the capability to carry a diverse range of payloads.
This versatility is expected to bolster the Navy’s missile magazine capacity, significantly contributing to the Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) strategy.
DMO focuses on dispersing manned and unmanned vessels across a wider operational area, making it more challenging for adversaries to track and target them.
Looking Ahead: The Road to Deployment
The successful engine trials mark a significant turning point for the LUSV program.
However, several key steps remain before these unmanned vessels become operational realities.
The Navy will likely evaluate the successful engine configurations further, potentially leading to the selection of one or more options for integration into the final LUSV design.
The program is also expected to delve into areas beyond propulsion systems.
Further testing will likely focus on communication systems, sensor suites, and the development of robust autonomous navigation capabilities that will enable these vessels to operate effectively without human intervention.
Designer rendering for the US Navy’s Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) program. (Image source: Austal)
The announcement regarding the successful engine trials does not mention Lockheed Martin and Austal, the two other companies initially selected for the LUSV program in 2020.
This could indicate that these companies are still working to qualify their engine systems, or it’s possible they may be focusing on other aspects of the LUSV design.
The Navy is expected to provide further updates on the LUSV program’s progress in the coming months.
The successful engine trials, however, offer a glimpse into the promising future of autonomous warfare and the potential for these unmanned vessels to revolutionize American naval capabilities.
