A British defence company, SubSea Craft (SSC), in partnership with the Australian Maritime College (AMC), have tested a new Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) capability known as Mars. SSC alleges the USV was taken from concept to water in only 100 days. (From the Australian Defence Magazine.)
“The development of Mars represents another milestone on our international journey. Having been developed in the UK, tested in Australia and the US, we have been able to showcase our ongoing dedication to AUKUS objectives of interoperability and technological synergy between nations,” CEO of SubSea Craft, Camilla Martin, said.
SSC partnered with AMC back in 2023. Mars’ launch has occurred at a time of growing international demand for USV capabilities.
“Mars has emerged as a disruptive force for the modern battlespace. Its successful testing following an impressive turnaround from its ideation is testament to SubSea Craft’s cutting-edge approach to accelerated research, development and delivery,” Chair of SubSea Craft and Former UK Secretary of State for Defence, Penny Mordaunt, stated.
According to SSC, Mars possesses multi-role applications for a variety of force objectives including:
- Wingman support to minimise risk to manned deployments and provide a force multiplying effect at the vanguard of the fleet.
- Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities including long-range surveillance to increase the recognised maritime picture in environments with degraded communications.
- Multi-domain payloads and modular integration, allowing for both kinetic and non-kinetic effects on target. This includes the integration of Anduril’s ALTIUS.
