Textron Systems sold the first TSUNAMI craft to the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Division earlier this month, representing a new step in the ongoing collaboration between the company and the U.S. Department of Defense.
The contract includes the TSUNAMI craft, engineering support, and a surveillance technology package.
NSWC Dahlgren will use the TSUNAMI as a test and evaluation platform for future development of payloads, autonomy, and automatic target recognition systems for small uncrewed surface vessels (sUSVs).
The craft will also be utilized as an open architecture test platform to support the USN Fleet for both domestic and international exercises. This partnership aims to enhance the capabilities of maritime forces, ensuring optimum readiness for future missions.
The TSUNAMI is designed to be attritable, rapidly deployable, and fully autonomous. As an attritable asset, it is built to be cost-effective enough to be expendable when required by mission conditions. This approach supports efforts to reduce long-term operational costs while maintaining mission flexibility.
Equipped with sensors and onboard data-processing systems, the TSUNAMI can perform complex tasks without direct operator control. Its surveillance package supports reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering by providing real-time data to mission planners.
In addition to its autonomous capabilities, the TSUNAMI is produced on a high-volume production line and supported by a global logistics and maintenance infrastructure, allowing for scalability and timely delivery to meet operational needs.
This sale supports ongoing research and development aimed at advancing maritime capabilities through emerging technologies and autonomous systems. The TSUNAMI will contribute to efforts focused on modernizing uncrewed surface vessel operations and evaluating new approaches to mission execution. Textron Systems will continue working alongside defense partners to explore practical applications of autonomous maritime platforms in support of national security objectives.
