ACTUV on track for Navy success story: Researchers are reporting significant progress on efforts to build a large, long-distance unmanned vessel to extend the Navy’s eyes and ears.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began work in the project in 2010. It has spent $100 million on R&D for the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) and another $23 million to have Leidos build the prototype presently being tested out of San Diego.
On the heels of recent successful demonstrations, the coming year could prove pivotal to the program.
“We have a bunch of testing coming up, including a lot of at-sea testing of the collision avoidance systems. That will start in January and run through most of 2017,” said Scott Littlefield, DARPA program manager in the tactical technology office.
