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USCG to begin testing unmanned surface vehicles off Hawaii shore
At left, a concept photo of the unmanned surface vehicle that will be demonstrated by Spatial Integrated System in the maritime domain awareness technology evaluation by the Coast Guard Research and Development Center this summer. At right, the technology evaluation will also include a SailDrone, shown here during a project with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ocean Climate Stations. (USCG)
HONOLULU—The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center, in partnership with local Coast Guard units, will be conducting test and evaluation of unmanned surface vehicles off the south shore of Oahu from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5.
The tests will focus on autonomous vessel systems from Saildrone and Spatial Integration Systems, in addition to a Coast Guard-owned autonomous research vessel made by Metal Shark.
This evaluation will examine each vessels’ ability to provide persistent maritime domain awareness, especially in remote areas of the oceans. While potentially applicable to many Coast Guard missions, there is potential these technologies will help enable the Coast Guard to better protect critical natural living marine resources from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and other illicit activities. (USCG)
