DARPA christens USX-1 Defiant autonomous ship ahead of at-sea demonstrations
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency christened a new unmanned surface vessel Monday that the organization plans to transfer to the Navy following at-sea demonstrations.
The platform, known as the USX-1 Defiant, has a length of 180 feet, a height of 42 feet, a displacement of 529,000 pounds, and a top speed of 20 knots. It’s designed to survive 30-foot waves and operate autonomously at sea for up to a year, DARPA said.
The agency has tested an at-sea refueling capability that’s intended to be used with the Defiant.
The new USV was developed under the agency’s No Manning Required Ship, or NOMARS, program.
In a press release, the organization described the new system as a “first-of-its-kind autonomous, unmanned surface vessel designed from the ground up to never accommodate a human aboard,” featuring a simplified hull design “to allow rapid production and maintenance in nearly any port facility or Tier III shipyard that traditionally supports yacht, tug, and workboat customers.”