Pentagon chooses SAIC to build unmanned submarine spying vessel

The Pentagon has awarded Science Application International Corp a $58 million prime contract to develop an unmanned sea vessels that can spy on enemy submarines while operating with minimal supervision. The autonomous surface vessel will be able to track a diesel electric submarine for months over thousands of miles. The new technologies will allow surveillance missions to be carried out with less cost and effort, using a shore based operator to intermittently monitor the autonomous performance. SAIC’s contract will involve the design and construction of a prototype. Carnegie Mellon University has been chosen to help develop the ship’s autonomous capabilities with National robotics Engineering Center’s scientists serving as key investigators.