HII has demonstrated how unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) could operate as coordinated teams under a single control architecture.
During a recent test, the company showcased autonomous teaming by linking its ROMULUS 7 USV with a REMUS UUV.
Both vehicles ran on HII’s Odyssey Autonomous Control System (ACS), which allowed missions to be planned, monitored, and managed through a single interface.
During the demonstration, the USV leveraged its dual payload bays alongside the REMUS UUV’s modular architecture to enable surface–subsurface collaboration.
A primary goal was to use the USV as a mobile surface gateway, providing the UUV with real-time connectivity to an operations center and supporting rapid data transfer.
The test also evaluated the USV’s communications and sensing suite, including acoustic links, cameras, Wi-Fi, Starlink connectivity, mesh-network radios, and GPS.
According to HII, the demonstration was successful, with the USV operating in tandem with the UUV and validating the effectiveness of coordinated surface and subsurface autonomy.
Odyssey Autonomy
The Odyssey ACS is designed to transform existing platforms into intelligent robotic systems capable of advanced decision-making and coordinated multi-vehicle operations.
The software provides control over sensors, navigation, propulsion, vehicle systems, and payloads, enabling platforms to operate with a high degree of autonomy.
It features an intuitive interface for mission planning and monitoring, enhanced situational awareness, and onboard health monitoring to track system performance.
The system also supports safe navigation alongside other vessels and includes a library of single- and multi-agent behaviors for building complex mission scenarios.
