While driverless automobiles have the attention of Elon Musk and Google, the Naval Electrics, Automation, and Control business of Rolls-Royce is looking to a less populated space that makes up two-thirds of the planet.
The company recently announced plans for an autonomous 700-ton naval vessel with a range of 3,500 nautical miles, and capable of operating without a captain for more than 100 days while reaching speeds of up to 28 mph.
The 197’ long vessel could be used for patrolling coastlines, detecting mines or performing other security functions.
In addition to their notoriety as a luxury car brand, Rolls-Royce is recognized as a world-class engine manufacturer in the automotive, marine, and aerospace markets. So, it’s no surprise that the crown jewel of the vessel is a propulsion system that combines gas turbine and diesel engine technologies.
This entails a full electric propulsion system with two diesel generators providing 4 MW of electrical power to a 1.5 MW drive. An additional 3,000 kWh energy storage system and solar panels will also be built into the vessel to help preserve fuel and extend the operational range.
The company sees mid-sized, autonomous ships as the future of navies across the globe in helping to preserve manpower and financial resources.
Rolls-Royce has already created what it believes to be the first Intelligent Awareness System that combines sensors and artificial intelligence to help manage unmanned operations.
And although they might be the biggest name in unmanned marine development, they’re not the only one. Norway’s YARA could have an autonomous shipping boat in operation as soon as next year.