Jane Edwards
HII demonstrated coordinated operations of manned and unmanned maritime vehicles as part of an internal research and development initiative meant to advance mission-critical technology platforms to support national security clients.
The launch and recovery demonstration held on June 8 in the Pascagoula River in Mississippi involved the use of HII’s Pharos prototype platform and the HII-built Proteus large-diameter unmanned underwater vehicle, the company said Monday.
During the demonstration, HII’s advanced technology group used a remote control to put Pharos in the trailing position by ballasting it down to enable the prototype to capture Proteus while being towed behind a small vessel that simulated an amphibious warship at low speed.
Pharos comes with a scalable design and is equipped with heavy duty wheels to facilitate its transport within the well deck of an amphibious vessel.
Pharos was designed by HII and produced by Metal Shark. The University of New Orleans, in conjunction with the U.S. Navy, conducted the initial model testing of the device.
HII will further develop concepts and other national security platforms using the results of the demonstration and is looking at potential modifications to other unmanned vehicles.
Andy Green, executive vice president of HII and president of its Mission Technologies division, said the demonstration reflects how the company can use the expertise across business divisions to build novel platforms for customers.
“HII is focused on growing critical enabling technologies, like unmanned systems and AI/ML data analytics, to help further enhance the capabilities of our national security platforms,” added Green, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner.
