DARPA's NOMARS Defiant unmanned vessel project
Design design of the vessel NOMARS Defiant. DARPA Graphics
Since 2020, the Pentagon's advanced development agency DARPA, in collaboration with commercial contractors, has been working on a promising uncrewed vessel, NOMARS. The development of the experimental vessel was entrusted to Serco Inc., and it has already reached the construction of a prototype. By the end of this year, the first vessel of the new type is going to be launched and sent for sea trials to confirm technical characteristics and autonomous capabilities.
Without the need for a person
DARPA launched the NOMARS (No Manning Required Ship) program in the fall of 2020. Applications from potential participants were collected for some time, and the competitive part of the program started in October. Several commercial companies with experience in shipbuilding and computer systems were awarded contracts for the work.
The first stage of the program was divided into two directions. The Phase 1 Track A research effort required a vessel design to be designed without crew positions and making maximum use of available volumes. Such work was entrusted to Serco Inc., Autonomous Surface Vehicles and Gibbs & Cox. The Track B direction involved the development of new control and diagnostic systems with maximum autonomy, capable of ensuring the operation of the vessel in the complete absence of a person. The development of these systems was carried out by Barnstorm Research Corporation and TDI Technologies.
Both research projects were given about a year and a half to complete. After this, DARPA was going to evaluate the preliminary projects of all companies and select the most successful ones for further implementation. According to known data, within the framework of “Phase 2”, both directions, A and B, were going to be combined and embodied in metal in the form of one vessel.
An early version of the NOMARS Defiant skin. Graphics by Serco Inc.
In August 2022, the winners of the competitive part of the NOMARS project became known. The most successful concept of a vessel without a crew and the possibility of stowing it was proposed by Serco. Moreover, she proposed several options for implementing such a project in different displacements and with different functions. In the second research project, Beier Integrated Systems showed the best results.
Soon, Serco received the contract to carry out Phase 2. This stage of the program included the development of a full-fledged project for the subsequent construction of a prototype vessel. To carry out this work, 8 months were allotted and $68,5 million were allocated. Under the terms of the contract from DARPA, Serco Inc. became the lead developer of the NOMARS vessel and the project integrator. At the same time, Beier Integrated Systems had to provide new electronics. A number of subcontractors from the fields of shipbuilding, electronics, etc. were also involved in the work.
Under construction
The unmanned vessel project from Serco and other companies received the working name Defiant (“Daring”). The development took longer than originally planned and was completed only by the beginning of autumn 2023. After this, preparations began for the construction of a prototype and the search for a contractor for this.
In October last year, the lead contractor issued an order to Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (Washington) to build a prototype vessel. Soon the laying of the “Daring” took place and the corresponding work began. According to known data, the construction of the vessel is still ongoing, but the current stage of work remains unknown. The construction completion dates also remained unknown until recently.
In early April, the US Navy League held another Sea Air Space conference, during which the military industry and Pentagon structures showed their latest developments. One of the exhibitors was the Serco company with its unmanned vessel projects. For the first time, she showed a model of the future vessel with weapons and target equipment, and also revealed her plans.
A model of the Defiant ship with a missile system, shown at a recent exhibition. Photo The Warzone / twz.com
The development company reported that construction of “Daring” continues and is expected to be completed before the end of this year. Sea trials will begin in January 2025. The schedule for these events was not specified, but it was previously mentioned that three months are given for factory tests. After this, full-scale checks will begin, testing all the main functions and capabilities. Serco and DARPA cannot say how long they will last.
A new concept was also shown at the Sea Air Space exhibition. Based on the technologies of the Defiant project, it is proposed to build a larger unmanned combat ship with the working title Dauntless. Due to the larger size, it is proposed to change the composition of the equipment and increase the ammunition load.
Technical appearance
The NOMARS Defiant project involves the construction of a medium-sized vessel or large boat capable of operating autonomously and without the presence of a person on board. The exact dimensions and displacement of such a vessel have not yet been announced. At the same time, a model from a recent exhibition suggests that its length will exceed 50 m. The displacement, according to past reports, will be at the level of 200-210 tons.
The design of the vessel was developed from scratch taking into account the special requirements of DARPA. Thus, the body has the minimum required dimensions, and the internal units and mechanisms are placed as tightly as possible. There are no volumes to accommodate people, workplaces or passages. In this case, easy access to the units for maintenance should be provided.
The body of this design has a reduced height, reducing visibility. The deck is made as large as possible and provides for the installation of various equipment. Instead of a superstructure, an A-shaped mast with the necessary radio systems is used.
ADLS inclined launcher. Photo by BAE Systems
The type of power plant is unknown. Apparently, diesel engines or a diesel-electric system are used. Such engines will allow you to have high performance characteristics. Inside the unmanned hull it will be possible to place fuel tanks of increased capacity, due to which a longer voyage duration and autonomy will be achieved. However, exact driving characteristics are not reported.
From messages from DARPA and developers it follows that NOMARS Defiant will receive completely new electronics. On board the vessel there will be radar and other means of illuminating the situation, an autopilot with the ability to operate autonomously or carry out operator commands, as well as controls for target equipment. To improve performance characteristics, an automatic monitoring and diagnostic system was developed. However, all functions of the on-board equipment remain unknown due to the sensitivity of the topic.
The uncrewed vessel NOMARS is being developed as a multi-purpose platform to accommodate various equipment and solve different problems. The deck provides space for mounting standard containers or other units with the necessary instruments. This could be reconnaissance equipment or weapons. Thus, the combat potential of the Defiant product was recently shown using a mock-up for an exhibition.
The ship model received two units for different purposes. A universal missile launcher, the Adaptable Deck Launching System from BAE Systems, was placed in front of the mast. This product is a functional analogue of the vertical installation of the Mk 41, but differs in its placement on the deck and the inclined arrangement of the missile cells. Compatibility with ammunition of different types and purposes is provided.
Serco Dauntless unmanned combat ship concept. Photo The Warzone / twz.com
A standard 40-foot container was installed at the stern of the “Daring”, conditionally containing some target equipment. Various reconnaissance complexes, unmanned systems, etc. can be implemented in this form factor. In fact, this load depends only on the wishes and needs of the customer.
Advanced technologies
To date, the US military-industrial complex has developed a number of projects for unmanned ships and boats of various sizes and for various purposes. Some of these products reached testing and confirmed the design characteristics. Now we are talking about continuing to fine-tune individual models, about their future adoption and operation as part of the surface forces of the Navy.
As part of the current NOMARS project, DARPA and its contractors continue to develop existing ideas and concepts and are also exploring new concepts. Thus, the central idea of the program is to create a vessel design that initially does not include a person on board. Judging by the current stage of work, this idea was implemented in the form of a project, and is now being carried out in metal.
Removing the volume to accommodate a support crew on a full-size vessel is interesting from a technical point of view. Reportedly, due to this, it was possible to optimize the layout of the case and obtain other advantages. In addition, the implementation of such a solution may indicate the level of development of autonomous control technologies. Apparently, DARPA believes that modern autopilots are capable of independently and completely coping with all assigned tasks and do not require human assistance.
However, the full potential of such a concept can only be determined during full-scale tests with the solution of various problems, incl. using special equipment and load. The experimental vessel NOMARS Defiant is still on the slipway, and its construction will only be completed at the end of the year. The tests are going to begin next January, and only a few months after that it will be possible to draw the first conclusions.
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