2020 UMS News In Review

Following is the executive summary of the Q4 2020 Uncrewed Maritime Systems (UMS) news review from Just Innovation. Subscribers received this, and 120+ pages of content, in early January. If you are interested in this product please feel free to contact Justin Manley for information. New subscribers responding to this post will receive Q4 2020 as a complimentary addition to a 2021 subscription.

Q4 2020 UMS News Executive Summary

The fourth quarter brought a strange year to an end. It was a dynamic quarter with developments across market domains. Defense and commercial activities were both strong while some scientific programs were launched. 

MASS activity remained a notable commercial growth area with demonstrations and developments in both Europe and Asia. Autonomous tug demonstrations, steel cutting for autonomous ferries, and growing finance/policy interests were some key examples. Ongoing use of USVs for pipeline surveys and similar applications are becoming common.

Defense programs were vibrant with DARPA awards, EOD ROV deliveries, and numerous UMS sources sought in the USA. Target UUV sales in France and significant MCM investments in Europe were also noted.

Science and government operations included USVs for ocean exploration and marine protected area monitoring, with illegal fishing being a growing concern for governments.

A trend noted this quarter was the numerous examples of UMS agnostic “autonomy” being adopted by UMS platform developers. While not entirely new, seeing seven such examples this quarter seems to indicate an accelerating trend. 

Product introductions included 3 UUVs, 4 USVs and a 17 UMS subsystems.

In addition to the Q4 observations, key developments in the UMS community from prior 2020 issues included:

Q1 - Sale of Hydroid from Kongsberg Maritime to Huntington Ingalls, Ocean Infinity launched a new venture, called Armada, focused on a fleet of USVs for commercial applications, DARPA unveiled several new initiatives that will advance the technology of unmanned vessels in military applications, ongoing routine use of UMS in offshore industry was complemented by several developments in autonomous ferries, an emerging growth area. 

Q2 - The release of the US Navy MUUV request for proposals energized the US UUV contractor base while ROVs for MCM were popular in Europe. Class societies engaged autonomous shipping, and major projects shifted both forward in China, and into neutral, in Norway. Ongoing routine use of UMS in offshore industry, with continued growth in services for offshore wind, was complemented by developments at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which is rapidly embracing UMS. 

Q3 – The world continued to struggle with pandemic impacts. Most directly this manifested itself in six distinct news items related to increased remote operations in the maritime sector or enabled by UMS technology. The defense sector was equally busy with six references to US Navy UxS interests and another ten for developments in allied nations. Mine countermeasures developments were popular in Europe this quarter and US interests were focused on large-scale USVs and UUVs as well as strategic planning. The commercial shipping side saw significant developments in Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) an acronym now added to this report’s routine vocabulary. These activities were notable for their geographic spread, focus on consortiums, and connectivity between industry and government interests.

Product Introduction Statistics for 2020: 10 new UUVs, 8 new USVs, and 34 new UMS subsystems (sensors, energy systems, launch and recovery, etc.)