Since we first heard about Saildrone’s ocean data-gathering autonomous USVs in 2018, they’ve been mapping miles of the ocean floor, tracking hurricanes (and even sharing videos inside Hurricane Sam), and surveying remote locations. I’ve been Now the company has added new ships to its fleet to work on coastal mapping and maritime surveillance.
In terms of overall size, the new Voyager unmanned water vehicle (USV) falls somewhere between Saildrone’s model offerings, between the 23-foot (7 m) long Explorer and the 65-foot (20 m) long Surveyor. position. According to the company, it is designed to do coastal (sea) and lakebed mapping, as well as intelligence for law enforcement, maritime security, drug control, border/port security missions, and illegal fishing surveillance. Designed to embark on collecting as well.
Like its siblings, the sensor payload can be fine-tuned to suit each application’s requirements. Mapping suites include, for example, smart cameras, digital radar, and underground acoustic sensors for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks. Other options include atmospheric sensors, inertial measurement units, and sound velocity profilers with winches.
sail drone
Onboard electronics are powered by solar cells on top and include a 4 kW electric motor as an auxiliary, but with a 21 ft (6 m) tall sail drone wing for wind propulsion . Mission endurance he reported at over 3 months.
Rather than manufacturing everything in-house like other USVs, Saildrone chose to outsource Voyager wing and keel manufacturing to Janicki Industries in Washington and hull manufacturing to Seemann Composites in Mississippi. . Then, in a former airplane hangar in Alameda, California, he now puts it all together at his once-a-week pace.
The Voyager USV will undergo sea trials beyond the San Francisco Bay and California coastline beginning in late 2022. The first operational mission is scheduled to begin in the American spring. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more, the company will be hosting the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum in Baltimore this week and the Sea Air Space Expo in National Harbor, Maryland from April 3 through April 5. participate in
Source: Sail Drone
