SubSea Craft and NSI Demonstrate Rapid Multi-Domain Autonomous Integration

Naval Systems, Inc. (NSI) and SubSea Craft have successfully demonstrated a multi-domain suite of unmanned maritime systems, achieving full integration and operational testing within a 48-hour window. The demonstration, conducted off the California coast during the Maritime Big Play Pacific exercise, showcased the ability to field complex, interoperable autonomous capabilities in response to immediate operational requirements.

Rapid Integration and Over-the-Horizon Capability

The exercise paired SubSea Craft’s MARS Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) with NSI’s Arowana Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV). This configuration enabled over-the-horizon engagements against surface targets in open ocean conditions. The MARS USV acted as a launch platform for multiple Arowana UUVs, which then conducted simulated kinetic engagements, proving the system’s accuracy and endurance in a combined-arms autonomous framework.

The speed at which these disparate systems were integrated—less than two days from initial planning to successful demonstration—signals a significant shift in maritime defense procurement. For the shipping and maritime technology sectors, this suggests that the barrier to entry for complex multi-platform operations is lowering, moving away from bespoke, long-term engineering projects toward modular, plug-and-play autonomous architectures.

Diver-Deployed Autonomous Chains

A second phase of the demonstration introduced the CADDIS Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), a diver-deployable platform. In this scenario, divers launched both the CADDIS UAS and the Arowana UUV from underwater. The UAS transitioned to flight upon reaching the surface, identifying targets and relaying data back to the submerged UUV, which then proceeded toward the objective.

This capability highlights a growing focus on cross-domain communication where aerial assets provide the eyes for subsurface kinetic tools. The success of these trials under the U.S. Navy’s BARB solicitation indicates that the future of undersea warfare will rely heavily on the ability of small, modular autonomous units to communicate across the air-sea interface without direct human intervention.

The demonstrations were sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research & Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) as part of a larger effort to identify promising solutions for the emerging undersea warfare battlespace.

Source: MarineLink