In December, MARIN conducted the first sea trials with a prototype of the SeaRush Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) in the Rijnhaven in Wageningen. Within five months, the design evolved into a seagoing test platform for unmanned maritime systems.
Faster from concept to seagoing prototype
SeaRush is an innovative defense project, in collaboration with innovation center MIND. The project focuses on the rapid development, deployment, and iterative improvement of unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Within the Dutch military-maritime ecosystem, MARIN plays a role in the Royal Netherlands Navy's transition to a composite fleet of manned and unmanned maritime systems.By utilizing existing production infrastructure in the Netherlands, flexible material and component choices, and production methods such as 3D printing technology, SeaRush strengthens the innovation capacity of the Ministry of Defence and its partners, especially in times of conflict. The project connects knowledge building, prototyping, operational testing, and validation of unmanned systems with the development of an ecosystem for the scalable production of affordable USVs. The platform also supports applications where unmanned vessels collaborate with other systems, such as drones, for demonstrations during (inter)national exercises.
Collaboration within the production chain
The development of the experimental USV was realized in close collaboration with multiple partners. IMPACD Boats from Woudsend translated the concept design into a 3D-printable design and, in collaboration with CEAD, handled the preparations for the printing process. The hull was subsequently printed in less than a week at the Dutch Boat Factory in Delft. The finishing of the printed hull into a seaworthy USV took place in Woudsend. Propulsion is provided by a Honda outboard motor which, thanks to the interfacing with the control system from the Italian company UltraFlex, can also be operated externally.Why unmanned systems are becoming increasingly important
The demand for such systems is growing rapidly. International conflicts are intensifying, the economic and strategic importance of the North Sea is growing, and the Royal Netherlands Navy does not expect to be able to expand its crew size in the coming years due to a tight labor market. Therefore, the Royal Netherlands Navy is developing new operational concepts in which unmanned vessels play a key role alongside manned units. Scalable and effective cooperation between the two is essential in this regard.KNOWONE: from simulation to sea
A major challenge is the integrated control of the unmanned systems, both individually and in large numbers. In the KNOWONE knowledge program, we are investigating how multiple small and large USVs can cooperate with manned units in maritime operations without additional operators. To this end, we have developed software applications for USVs to enable them to operate in formations with a manned vessel.Over the past year, multiple operational concepts have been evaluated with Defence personnel in our Dolphin simulation environment using this method. The next step is to demonstrate these concepts on board several experimental USVs. To transfer the software applications one-to-one from the simulation environment to experimental USVs, we are developing a software architecture together with EagleScience that simplifies the integration of software and hardware on board.