L3 ASV announced the successful delivery of their C-Enduro long-endurance autonomous vessel to the UK's Royal Navy. The C-Enduro is used for military data gathering trials, especially by the Mine countermeasures and Hydrographic Capability (MHC) programme, as the Navy looks to expand their autonomous technology capacity.
“We are proud to support the Royal Navy in their plans to explore the uses of marine autonomy as they continue to invest in new and exciting technology,” said Vince Dobbin, Sales and Marketing Director for L3 ASV. “This vessel is an evolution of our existing C-Enduro product range and provides the unique capability to collect a variety of data during any one mission over extended periods.”
C-Cat 3 is a small and robust Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) for shallow water survey in both inshore and coastal waters. Image: L3Harris
The 4.8 metre autonomous C-Enduro comes equipped with 10 sensors that combine scientific and hydrographic survey technology. Operating using L3 ASV's proprietary control system, ASView, and is also fitted with an advanced autonomy package that ensures situational awareness and smart path planning. ASView enables various autonomous control modes such as 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 programme,” said Alex du Pre, MHC Team Lead at Defence Equipment and Support.
This is the fourth successful delivery of a C-Enduro vessel. Previous missions include an 22-day marine science mission for the National Oceanography Centre, north of Scotland.
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