La compa\u00f1\u00eda estadounidense ANDURIL Industries anunci\u00f3 que su prototipo en desarrollo, el Dive-XL \u201cExtra Large Autonomous Undersea Vehicle\u201d (XL \u2013 AUV), ha alcanzado un nuevo r\u00e9cord en una traves\u00eda de 100hs sin reabastecerse. Desde hace tiempo, los Dive-XL est\u00e1n siendo sometidos a rigurosos ensayos en el mar, tanto en EEUU como en Australia. La Armada de este \u00faltimo pa\u00eds, tiene previsto incorporarlos en su programa \u201cGhost Shark\u201d para el control soberano de su litoral mar\u00edtimo. Este reciente ensayo de 100hs, es un avance del test previsto para el 2025, en que el Dive-XL deber\u00eda alcanzar las 1.000 millas n\u00e1uticas.<\/p>\n
Anduril Industries has announced that its commercial extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle (XL-AUV) Dive-XL has achieved the feat of 100 hours single voyage.<\/p>\n
Anduril says this is the longest underway voyage for a vehicle of this class.<\/p>\n
The American defense technology company\u2019s Dive-XL underwater drones are at sea nearly every day in Australia and the United States \u2013 where they undergo testing and trial runs.<\/p>\n
The Dive-XL is also being missionized into a sovereign capability for the\u00a0Royal Australian Navy\u2019s Ghost Shark program.<\/p>\n
The company also reported that the US is also showing interest in its capabilities and is looking at ways in which it can be used in a complementary capability to both crewed and uncrewed naval vessels.<\/p>\n
Dive-XL\u2019s USP and planned upcoming milestones for the drone<\/strong><\/p>\n Anduril states that this recent feat of 100 hours dive will be followed by the Dive-XL attempting a goal of a fully submerged 1,150 mile (1,000 nautical miles) mission. The company plans to conduct this trip in the first half of 2025.<\/p>\n This 1,150 mile trip will be followed a full-scale, multi-thousand mile range mission undertaken by the vehicle.<\/p>\n The company states that Dive-XL is designed to operate undersea for the entirety of its missions, thanks to its all-electric powertrain.\u00a0This is in contrast to the hybrid unscrewed submarines which require frequent contact with the surface.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe longer an XL-AUV can stay submerged, the more operational flexibility it provides its commanders. Dive-XL\u2019s ability to remain underwater for weeks without surfacing or intervention ensures it can operate undetected, extend its range, and deliver payloads in contested maritime environments,\u201d Anduril said in the\u00a0press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n The autonomy and modularity can give the much needed advantage to mission coordinators in case of contested environments and war-like situations.<\/p>\n The Dive-XL is designed with modular payloads, which gives it versatility and adaptability for various mission sets. It is capable of carrying up to three payloads at a time, or one extra large payload.<\/p>\n It also allows operators to rapidly swap out and integrate different payloads \u2014 ranging from sensors and communications packages to ISR, strike and other capabilities \u2013 on the underwater drone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Moreover, Dive-XL\u2019s open-systems architecture ensures compatibility with third-party payloads, empowering operators to continuously upgrade and customize the platform as new technologies emerge.<\/p>\n Anduril says that it is equipping the Ghost Shark fleet with advanced, classified mission payloads for Australia\u2019s defense needs. It hopes that these can also be applied to address unmet U.S. requirements.<\/p>\n Cost and flexibility benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n The XL-AUV is designed in such a fashion that it can be launched, employed, and recovered by warfighters with ease using minimal infrastructure and heavy equipment \u2013 both at the sea or on the shore. It is designed to fit inside standard 40 feet\u00a0shipping containers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Further,\u00a0Anduril<\/a>\u00a0also says that modular platform like Dive-XL is comparatively quite cheap to manufacture and deploy. It costs substantially less than crewed submarines, and multiple units can be made within a short period of time.<\/p>\n As per Anduril, its modular design is freely flooded, relying on smaller, commercial off the shelf pressure vessels to house critical systems like navigation, communications, and batteries.<\/p>\n \u201cThe core vehicle is constructed from affordable and commercially available marine grade materials such as aluminum and fiberglass. This architecture reduces complexity, lowers costs, and makes Dive-XL highly manufacturable with resilient supply chains across the globe,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n The company is carrying out testing\u00a0in Australia<\/a>\u00a0and the US to ensure it meets all requirements. Along with the Australian government,\u00a0it plans<\/a>\u00a0to have the first production unit in the sea by the end of the next year.<\/p>\n