In what could be the most innovative naval vessels at sea, Rolls-Royce has revealed that it is developing a range of self-driving ships.
The crewless vessels will have a range of 3,500 nautical miles, and will be used to perform a range of missions, including patrol and surveillance, mine detection and fleet screening.
Rolls-Royce hopes that the fleet could take to sea ‘over the next 10 years.’
The crewless vessels will have a range of 3,500 nautical miles, and will be used to perform a range of missions, including patrol and surveillance, mine detection or fleet screening
The 60 metre-long vessel concept is capable of operating beyond the horizon for over 100 days, will displace 700 tonnes and reach speeds above 25 knots.
At the heart of the vessel is a robust and reliable power dense propulsion system.
Benjamin Thorp, General Manager of Naval Electrics, Automation and Control at Rolls-Royce, said: ‘Rolls-Royce is seeing interest from major navies in autonomous, rather than remote controlled, ships.
‘Such ships offer a way to deliver increased operational capability, reduce the risk to crew and cut both operating and build costs.
‘Over the next 10 years or so, Rolls-Royce expects to see the introduction of medium sized unmanned platforms, particularly in leading navies, as the concept of mixed manned and unmanned fleets develops. With our experience and capabilities we expect to lead the field.’
Rolls-Royce sees larger manned ships covering multi-role missions, alongside the small vessels completing single-role missions.
The 60 metre-long vessel concept is capable of operating beyond the horizon for over 100 days, will displace 700 tonnes and reach speeds above 25 knots
The initial design suggests that the vessels will have a full electric propulsion system. It features two Rolls-Royce MTU 4000 Series generators, providing around 4MW electrical power to a 1.5MW propulsion drive
The initial design suggests that the vessel will have a full electric propulsion system.
It features two Rolls-Royce MTU 4000 Series generators, providing around 4MW electrical power to a 1.5MW propulsion drive.
And to reduce fuel consumption and extend range, an additional 3,000 kWh of energy storage will be used for low speed operations.
The vessel will also be fitted with solar panels to generate power when the vessel is on standby.
Rolls-Royce emphasises that many of the technologies needed to make these autonomous ships already exist.
The firm has created what it believes to be the world’s first Intelligent Awareness System combining multiple sensors with Artificial Intelligence, to help commercial vessels operate more safely and efficiently.