Royal Navy receives C-Enduro autonomous vessel

The Royal Navy received the long-endurance autonomous vessel known as the C-Enduro, vessel manufacturer L2 ASV announced on February 5.

The C-Enduro will be used for military data gathering trials by the mine countermeasures and hydrographic capability (MHC) programme as the navy seeks to exploit autonomous technology.

“We are proud to support the Royal Navy in their plans to explore the uses of marine autonomy as they continue to invest in new and exciting technology,” said Vince Dobbin, Sales and Marketing Director for L3 ASV. “This vessel is an evolution of our existing C-Enduro product range and provides the unique capability to collect a variety of data during any one mission over extended periods.”

The 4.8-meter autonomous vessel is equipped with 10 sensors combining scientific and hydrographic survey equipment. The vessel operates using L3 ASV’s proprietary control system, ASView, and is fitted with L3 ASV’s advanced autonomy package, ensuring situational awareness and smart path planning. ASView enables a range of autonomous control modes, including line following, station-keeping and geofencing.

“The different ways in which the C-Enduro can be operated will allow the navy to test and develop the ability of an autonomous unmanned surface vessel (USV) to effectively gather important hydrographic data and potentially form part of a future capability to be delivered by the MHC programme,” said Alex du Pre, MHC Team Lead at Defence Equipment and Support.

This project marks the fourth delivery of a C-Enduro vessel, and previous successful missions include an 11-day over-the-horizon marine science mission north of Scotland for the National Oceanography Centre.