UK SME looks to its Pioneer USV for persistent uncrewed maritime surveillance

A computer rendering of the ACUA Ocean Pioneer USV with a TEU payload in heavy seas. (ACUA Ocean)

ACUA Ocean, a small and medium enterprise (SME) based in Plymouth, UK, is developing an unmanned surface vessel (USV) intended to provide a flexible platform capable of persistent surveillance and data collection in demanding sea conditions.

Designed by Ad Hoc Marine Designs, the Pioneer-class USV is a small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH) platform made of aluminium, with an overall length of 14 m, a beam of 9 m, a displacement of 25 tonnes, and with a lithium battery-electric hybrid powertrain. Its key feature is a central moon pool designed to accommodate a 20 ft equivalent unit (TEU) containerto carry a modular payload weighing up to 6.5 tonnes.

John Hunnibell, ACUA Ocean head of marine operations, told Janes that the design has resulted in a stable platform that can continue to operate at the upper limits of sea state 5, with average wave heights of 4 m at nine second intervals, with an optimum cruising speed of 3–4 kt. He said that independent modelling conducted by the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute at the University of Southampton had demonstrated significant superiority over a monohull three times the size for deployment of a 1 tonne payload from the moon pool, such as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

ASW potential

The principal defence and security use case, Hunnibell suggested, would be several of the Pioneer USV platforms deployed as aggregated picket vessels in an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) or anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platform role with towed array sonar and electronic support measures (ESM) suite options, as well as a surface surveillance suite including high-specification electro-optic sensors. The platform's mast provides a height-of-eye of 7.5 m.