The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC Pacific) has awarded Elbit Systems of America a prime contract to develop and demonstrate an autonomous maritime target tracking capability as part of the US Navy’s Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP).
The company will test its prototype in a series of at sea demonstrations over the next twelve months.
The IWRP supports implementation of the Naval Operational Architecture to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2), and ensure connectivity of US and allied forces across land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace.
According to the company, Elbit America’s autonomy prototype will extend the reach of those forces by leveraging attritable systems to covertly find, fix and track maritime targets, as directed by operational commanders.
Elbit America’s prototype includes various solutions and expertise from across its enterprise, including Sparton and Logos Technologies subsidiaries, as well as partners Alare Technologies, and Nauticus Robotics. The prototype leverages unique autonomy, artificial intelligence, automatic target recognition, and undersea payload delivery capabilities.
Jeff Hoyle, Elbit America Vice President of Maritime Business, said: “Elbit America’s advanced prototype will enhance distributed maritime operations by employing attritable multi-domain unmanned systems that can collaborate autonomously to identify and report targets of interest, while operating in contested environments.”
Raanan Horowitz, Elbit America President and CEO, said: “Our selection as a prime contractor for the Navy’s Information Warfare Research Project validates that our company’s portfolio is in alignment with the US National Defense Strategy. We are committed to strengthening our country’s national security and we’re investing in critical maritime technologies such as unmanned systems and sensors, attritable payloads, and undersea connectivity solutions to ensure that we can continue to innovate capabilities most needed by our customers.”
