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Defense Advanced Research Projects News

02 Jan 2024

NOMARS Puts New Officers in Charge

(Credit: DARPA)

DARPA’s NOMARS program aims to revolutionize naval operations by designing a ship that can operate autonomously for extended periods at sea without an onboard crew.One project at the forefront of maritime innovation is the development of a vessel called “Defiant,” a project of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The Defiant is referred to as a NOMARS vessel – “No Manning Required Ship.”The project’s been underway at least since January 2020, when DARPA held a “proposers day…

27 Oct 2023

Nichols Brothers Wins Contract to Build NOMARS Uncrewed Vessel

Concept design for NOMARS Defiant unmanned ship (Image: DARPA)

Freeland, Wash. shipbuilder Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) announced it has been awarded a contract to construct an uncrewed autonomous vessel for the U.S. Department of Defense's research and development agency.The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) project was awarded by Serco North America, the prime contractor and designer of the vessel, for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).The program aims to revolutionize naval operations by designing a ship that…

04 Oct 2023

Glas Ocean Electric Snags DARPA Contract

Image courtesy Glas Ocean Electric

The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)  awarded Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada-based Glas Ocean Electric a contract to develop and demonstrate a low-cost data acquisition system that can be easily installed on a range of vessels including fishing vessels, workboats, ferries and pleasure craft.Glas Ocean Electric’s PerforMarine is a platform that collects vessel and environmental data and then, using artificial intelligence, helps operators optimize vessel performance…

11 Oct 2022

Thrustmaster to Supply Propulsion for DARPA Uncrewed Vessel

(Image: DARPA)

Thrustmaster of Texas, Inc. announce it is providing a customized thruster propulsion system to SERCO, Inc. in support of its recently awarded No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The advanced platform design has been developed by SERCO to meet the performance requirements established by DARPA to demonstrate true unmanned operations for extended time periods.Joe Bekker, president of Thrustmaster of Texas, said,…

22 Aug 2022

US DARPA to Build, Test, Demonstrate Uncrewed Ship

Concept design for NOMARS Defiant unmanned ship. (Image: Serco Inc.)

The U.S. Department of Defense's research and development agency is moving into the second phase of a project to to build and demonstrate a new seagoing unmanned surface vessel.The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on Monday announced  it is moving into Phase 2 of the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program, which seeks to build and demonstrate a revolutionary new medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) that can go to sea and perform missions with unprecedented reliability and availability, while carrying a significant payload.

10 Aug 2021

DARPA Funds Tech to better Detect Whales

Image courtesy Charles River Analytics

Charles River Analytics won a $1.5 million follow-on contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a multi-sensor fusion module that incorporates deep learning to autonomously and accurately detect whales and other aquatic mammals.To protect marine mammals from collisions and sonar exposure, sailors must keep a vigilant lookout. Operators of remotely operated vehicles must also stay alert, and uncrewed surface vehicles’ (USVs) currently limited and narrow video feeds create risk, too.

06 Oct 2020

Gibbs & Cox to Develop 'Sea Train' Concept

(Image: DARPA)

Naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox said it has been awarded a multi-phase contract from the U.S.' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate a connectorless "Sea Train" concept.DARPA's Sea Train program aims to demonstrate long range deployment capabilities for a distributed fleet of tactical unmanned surface vessels. The program seeks to enable extended transoceanic transit and long-range naval operations by exploiting the efficiencies of a…

14 Sep 2018

NASA Welding Technologies Could Revolutionize Workboat Fabrication


Figure 4.  Hexaganal CP Ti structure showing angled TSW welds. Photo: NASA

Solid-State Welding Processes Being Developed for NASA Manufacturing Programs Could Significantly Reduce Workboat Fabrication CostsWhether it is for a tug boat, cargo vessel, or an offshore supply ship, much of the workboat fabrication industry is located along the Southern Coast of the U.S. But a visit to any one of the workboat facilities in that area (or any other in the country) would reveal antiquated and archaic fabrication processes used seventy years ago. The workboat manufacturing process is very expensive, labor intensive, and has not really changed since World War II.

03 May 2016

US Tests World's Largest Unmanned Sub Hunter

The US military is beginning testing on the world's largest unmanned ship - a self-driving 40-metre vessel designed to travel thousands of kilometres out at sea without a single crew member on board. The 132-foot "Sea Hunter" will patrol the world’s oceans hunting and tracking enemy submarines and it will do it all without a single human aboard. The drone vessel can track an enemy submarine for thousands of miles for months at a time. “[The Sea Hunter] as the unique capability to go out, to see other vessels operating potentially in our own waters,” said Jared Adams of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). During the testing phase…

07 Apr 2016

US Military Christens Self-piloting Ship

Photo: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

The U.S. military on Thursday christened an experimental self-driving warship designed to hunt for enemy submarines, a major advance in robotic warfare at the core of America's strategy to counter Chinese and Russian naval investments. The 132-foot-long (40-metre-long) unarmed prototype, dubbed Sea Hunter, is the naval equivalent of Google's self-driving car, designed to cruise on the ocean's surface for two or three months at a time - without a crew or anyone controlling it remotely.

13 Feb 2016

DARPA All Set To Launch Submarine Hunting Drone

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will launch in April a sleek, 132-foot warship from Portland, OR, testing its abilities over a succeeding period of 18 months. The ship is entirely autonomous, fully operational without an onboard crew. The Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel, or ACTUV, is scheduled to be launched April 17 from the Vigor Shipyards in Oregon. The ACTUV will continue sea-trials for 18 months following its maiden voyage, where it will be tested for its long-range tracking and self-driving functions. “Imagine an unmanned surface vessel following all the laws of the sea on its own and operating with manned surface and unmanned underwater vehicles,” said DARPA’s Deputy Director Steve Walker, according to the magazine National Defense.

04 Apr 2015

US to Deploy Unmanned 'Ghost Ships' to Track Submarines

To keep track of increasingly stealthy Russian, Chinese, and Iranian submarines, the U.S. is building a robotic ghost ship - an unmanned, autonomous patrol ship - to follow them around the high seas. Called the Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), the ships will detect and track diesel-powered subs, trailing from an observable distance, reports the Sputnik. Set to drift in the high seas, the robotic Sea Hunter will silently follow potentially hostile submarines. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been developing an unmanned, 132-foot patrol boat for years. The ACTUV ships will detect and track diesel-powered subs, trailing from an observable distance like that awkward cousin at the family BBQ.

01 Apr 2015

US to Test 'Submarine' Drone That Can Launch from Ocean Floor

USA’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is testing a drone that can hibernate on the ocean floor for years at a time before being launched to the surface and into the air at the push of a button. The new drones, being developed by the DARPA, are part of a new focus by the US military in developing and improving technology for emerging threats. According to DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar, the Agency is trying to approach military technology needs with a new perspective, after having focused primarily on assets for ground wars in the past 14 years. The Upward Falling Payloads (UFP) program will therefore be one of several other research projects DARPA will focus on as a means of revolutionizing the US Military’s maritime strategy.

29 Mar 2015

US Navy to Roll out Underwater Spy Satellites

The robotic series that remade crusade in skies will shortly extend to a low sea, with underwater view “satellites,” drone-launching pods on a sea building and unmanned ships sport submarines, reports AFP. The pods could launch surveillance drones in the air or at sea or provide a communications link when American forces are facing electronic jamming, said Jared Adams, spokesman for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Adam said that the proclivity is to capacitate timely deployment of unmanned distributed systems to apart locations by pre-deploying a resources years in allege and afterwards triggering their recover for fast effects during destiny times of a choosing. DARPA is working on a new system that can be used by the US military, more reliable than GPS.

31 Jan 2015

Naval EXPO Coming to Washington

For the first time ever, the general public will be admitted free to the Naval Future Force Science and Technology EXPO general exhibit hall Feb. 4-5 where they will be able to see the Electromagnetic Railgun, an autonomous swarmboat, a firefighting robot and much more. Held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., the EXPO is the Navy's premiere science and technology (S&T) event, held every two years to showcase some of the Navy's latest technologies and bring together the brightest minds from around the world to share information, discuss research opportunities and build S&T partnerships between the Navy, Marine Corps, industry and academia.

14 Jan 2015

US Navy to Display Electromagnetic Railgun

One of the two electromagnetic railgun prototypes on display aboard the joint high speed vessel USS Millinocket (JHSV 3) in port at Naval Base San Diego. (U.S. Navy photo by Kristopher Kirsop)

The U.S. The Electromagnetic Railgun – a weapon that the U.S. Navy says will play a significant role in its future – will be on display to the public for the first time on the East Coast Feb. 4-5 at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology (S&T) EXPO in Washington, D.C., officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced. With Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert set as the event's keynote speaker on Feb. 4, the EXPO promises to be a window into the future of the U.S. Navy, showcasing the latest advances in power projection and force protection.

14 Jan 2015

USN Railgun at Future Force EXPO

The Electromagnetic Railgun-a weapon that will play a significant role in the future of the U.S. Navy-will be on display to the public for the first time on the East Coast Feb. 4-5 at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology (S&T) EXPO in Washington, D.C., officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced Jan. 13. With Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert set as the event's keynote speaker on Feb. 4, the EXPO promises to be a window into the future of the U.S. Navy, showcasing the latest advances in power projection and force protection. "This year's Expo will showcase the naval portfolio of innovative breakthrough technologies that are shaping our warfighting tactics today and changing the way our Sailors and Marines will operate in the future…

29 Sep 2014

Northrop Grumman Advances Unmanned Maritime Capabilities

Innovative unmanned systems program moves forward to Phase II. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is developing new, advanced unmanned systems to support the Department of Defense's capability to deploy global persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and strike capabilities in a faster and more cost-effective way. The next-generation Tactical Exploited Reconnaissance Node (Tern) program is one example of several in progress focused on addressing various customer challenges. Designed to operate off small-deck U.S.

16 Jan 2013

Deep-sea Submersible Purchase by OceanGate

Deep-sea Submersible 'Lula': Photo credit OceanGate

OceanGate Inc., provider of deep-sea manned submersible solutions, buys 3-person, diesel-electric submersible 'Lula'f rom Portugal's Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation. The submarine, which can operate at a depth of 500 meters (1,640 feet), was purchased to meet the increased demand for manned submersibles in commercial applications focused on biological and environmental surveys, monitoring, and inspection. Having conducted hundreds of dives during her 10-year operating history, Lula will expand OceanGate's ability to meet growing industry client demands…

13 Mar 2013

Raytheon to Supply Navy Unmanned Vessel Sonar

Raytheon Company awarded a sub-contract from Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) for its latest medium frequency hull-mounted sonar system. The sub-contract is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program. According to the U.S. Navy , 43 nations operate more than 600 submarines; the steady increase in undersea vessels makes tracking a challenge. Raytheon's Modular Scalable Sonar System (MS3) will integrate into SAIC's prototype trimaran vessel as the primary search and detection sonar. The systemis designed to provide search, detection, passive-threat filtering, localization and tracking capabilities without requiring human operation.

04 Apr 2013

Bluefin Completes DARPA UUV Deep Testing

Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV): Photo credit Bluefin Robotics

Bluefin Robotics has successfully completed deep-water testing of a specialized Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The system was developed under a Phase II subcontract from Applied Physical Sciences Corp. (APS) for the Deep Sea Operations (DSOP) Program. DSOP is part of DARPA's Distributed Agile Submarine Hunting program (DASH), which aims to develop affordable distributed technology to address Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) surveillance needs over large, operationally relevant areas.

19 Aug 2013

What Falls Down Must Come Up Again: DARPA Place Contract

Sparton Corporation has been awarded a Phase 1 contract for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Upward Falling Payload (UFP) program. Sparton, under the UFP program, will design a system intended to live on the sea floor and release payloads. This enablement is thought to represent a game changing capability for mission commanders. The company say it is energized by the opportunity and eager for the collaboration to execute on the delivery system module, in which they will be assisted by the Applied Physics Lab at the University of Washington to provide additional deep ocean design expertise. “We have enjoyed working and collaborating with Sparton several times over the past few years and we are pleased to be working with them again…

28 Feb 2014

U.S. Navy eyes greater presence in Arctic from 2025

The U.S. Navy is mapping out how to expand its presence in the Arctic beginning around 2020, given signs that the region's once permanent ice cover is melting faster than expected, which is likely to trigger more traffic, fishing and resource mining. "The Arctic is all about operating forward and being ready. We don't think we're going to have to do war-fighting up there, but we have to be ready," said Rear Admiral Jonathan White, the Navy's top oceanographer and navigator, and director of the Navy's climate change task force. "We don't want to have a demand for the Navy to operate up there, and have to say, 'Sorry, we can't go,'" he said.