Automated Offboard Refueling and Data Transfer for Unmanned Surface Vehicles

Added: May 31, 2016 2:40 pm  

The Navy is developing Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) that are launched and recovered from a host ship.  A refueling and data transfer system that is remote from the host ship and proximate to the USV operating area will allow a substantially greater fraction of Navy USVs' endurance to be spent on performing the mission rather than on non-mission activities associated with refueling, including transiting to and from the host ship and being deployed and recovered on the host ship.  Under this BAA, the Offeror will design, build, test, and demonstrate a prototype Offboard Refueling and Data Transfer System (ORADTS). The ORADTS design must improve on previous designs by providing a more robust system that enhances system usability in higher sea states, reliability, and maintainability for implementation in Navy operations.  This could be via a new and different design or via multiple technology and architecture improvements to the previous design. The program goal is to achieve a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 for the system in order to support the Navy's potential consideration of the ORADTS technology in a Program of Record (PoR) milestone decision.