L3Harris Technologies joined maritime startup Seasats to test the advanced capabilities of an autonomous surface vessel (ASV) in the Pacific Ocean.
Seasats and L3Harris demonstrated reliable, resilient and effective operations off the coast of Hawaii with a surfboard-size ASV after completing a 2,500-mile journey from San Diego, California, to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The 10-week voyage also proved the ASV’s seaworthiness while continuously operating in challenging conditions.
“The ability of ASVs to prove their prolonged and reliable operations in the ocean is critical for establishing their effectiveness as a hard-to-detect, autonomous and affordable platform for L3Harris’ collaborative network payloads – essential for military effectiveness in contested environments,” said Andrew Puryear, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, L3Harris. “We are committed to collaborating with promising startups on innovative solutions that will make an impact in supporting the U.S., its allies and partners.”
Seasats manufactures ASVs under the product name Lightfish, which operate autonomously in all maritime environments for up to six months.
“We were extremely pleased how well the Lightfish navigated the challenges of an open ocean environment during our transit to Hawaii,” said Mike Flanigan, CEO and President, Seasats. “We see ASVs as a force multiplier and another way to affordably and quickly grow U.S. naval presence around the world.”
Seasats is a privately-owned company that designs and produces solar-powered maritime ASVs for military and commercial use. L3Harris invested in Seasats in 2022 as part of its ongoing strategy to adopt emerging technologies that address customers’ growing requirements for innovative, agile solutions that can be fielded rapidly.