US - Textron unveils unmanned marine vessel

Against the backdrop of the upcoming closure of Avondale shipyards, last year's work stoppage at NASA's Michoud facility and the state's hunger for more manufacturing jobs, Textron Marine & Land Systems on Thursday unveiled a prototype that it is shopping to the U.S. Navy and, if contracted, would build in the New Orleans area.

Textron treated local officials and media to a demonstration of the Common Unmanned Surface Vessel, or CUSV, a 39-foot vessel that can sniff out mines and patrol waterways all without a pilot on board.

Textron built two of the vessels, at its own expense, in the hope that the U.S. Navy or another international navy will be interested in them. The prototypes, which were constructed in Maryland, will undergo testing with the Navy this summer at Camp Pendleton in San Diego.

The vessels can be adapted to perform several functions. They can root out underwater mines, conduct security patrols, perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and execute surface warfare.

"We really give the potential customer a variety of missions they can use for the same craft," said Ryan Hazlett, CUSV program director for Textron Marine & Land Systems.

Hazlett would not say how much each vessel cost to manufacture. The price, Hazlett said, can vary depending on what task the vessel is designed to perform.

The CUSV was created using technology from AAI, a unit of Textron Inc., of which Textron Marine & Land Systems also is a part. The AAI technology has previously been used in shadow craft flight vehicles.

Although militaries have been using unmanned flight vehicles for years, the pilotless marine vessel has been absent from the market, Hazlett said.

"There's just been a delay in the acceptance and change in the tactics for the Navy to readily accept this technology," Hazlett said. "While everyone has focused on the unmanned air vehicles, it only makes sense to say what's next."

The CUSV can be operated from another ship, from land or from the air. It can also be configured beforehand and left on its own. With no payload, the vessel can operate on its own for about 48 hours.

"Unmanned craft do the dull, the dirty and the dangerous jobs," Hazlett said. "They keep troops safe."

If the Navy does option the vessel, production would be conducted in the New Orleans area, likely at Textron's facility on Chef Menteur Highway. Such a manufacturing program would be a win for the area following the loss of the external fuel tank program at the Michoud Assembly Facility and next year's planned closure of the Avondale shipyard. Both facilities had employed thousands of people.

"From an economic standpoint, bringing those jobs to Louisiana and New Orleans is always and important part," said Tom Walmsley, senior vice president and general manager of Textron Marine & Land Systems.