Unmanned systems company Quantum Systems has expanded into the maritime domain with the launch of two new systems, the Seavex unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and Subvex unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).
The company announced the expansion on September 14 in Sesimbra, Portugal, on the sidelines of a NATO exercise co-organized by the Portuguese Navy, FEUP, NATO CMRE, NATO JCGMUS and the European Defence Agency.
According to Quantum Systems, Seavex and Subvex will undergo sea trials to test and validate their capabilities in operational conditions. Both systems are integrated with the company’s MOSAIC UXS software architecture, which is designed to connect unmanned systems operating across the air, land and maritime domains.
Seavex is designed for long-endurance maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Quantum Systems says the USV can operate for up to two months and is equipped with surveillance radar, counter-UAS radar and electro-optical sensors with onboard AI processing.
The company also stated Seavex can launch and recover unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as dock with, recharge and retrieve mission data from UUVs.
Subvex is an AI-enabled UUV designed for autonomous ISR missions at depths of up to 6,000 meters. The system is equipped with sonar and acoustic sensors and onboard processing capabilities.
Subvex can operate for up to four days while actively moving and can support distributed operations involving multiple vehicles. It can also remain on the seabed in passive surveillance mode for several weeks for persistent underwater monitoring.
The two systems are intended to support missions including critical maritime infrastructure protection, maritime border security, anti-submarine surveillance and blue-water surveillance.
Their integration into MOSAIC UXS is intended to allow information collected by systems operating across different domains to be combined within a common operational environment.
The expansion comes as maritime security is gaining strategic importance, with coastlines, ports and critical marine infrastructure facing a growing need for persistent surveillance. At the same time, threats increasingly span the air, surface and underwater environment, requiring information from across the waterline to be detected, connected and understood as part of one operational picture.
“Maritime operations have a fundamental challenge: the areas are vast, while crews and assets are limited,” said Dirk Zademack, VP Quantum Maritime at Quantum Systems.
“In the air and on land, we have built an ecosystem in which unmanned systems operate together rather than individually. We are now applying the same principle at sea with Seavex and Subvex: extending collaborative presence on the water and below the surface and compiling the information for the operator.”