C-Enduro Delivered to Royal Navy
L3 ASV has announced the successful delivery of a long-endurance autonomous vessel known as the C-Enduro to the Royal Navy.
The C-Enduro will be used for military data gathering trials by the Mine countermeasures and Hydrographic Capability (MHC) program as the Navy seeks to exploit autonomous technology.
The 4.8-meter autonomous vessel is equipped with 10 sensors combining scientific and hydrographic survey equipment. The vessel operates using L3 ASV’s proprietary control system, ASView, and is fitted with L3 ASV’s advanced autonomy package, ensuring situational awareness and smart path planning. ASView enables a range of autonomous control modes, including line following, station-keeping and geofencing.
“The different ways in which the C-Enduro can be operated will allow the Navy to test and develop the ability of an autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) to effectively gather important hydrographic data and potentially form part of a future capability to be delivered by the MHC program,” said Alex du Pre, MHC Team Lead at Defense Equipment and Support.
This project marks the fourth delivery of a C-Enduro vessel, and previous successful missions include an 11-day over-the-horizon marine science mission north of Scotland for the National Oceanography Center.