HJ Shipbuilding & Construction is moving to jointly develop technology for integrated control and autonomous mission systems for combat unmanned surface vessels that will become a future core asset of the Navy. This is the first time in Korea that development of core technology for combat unmanned surface vessels has been pursued.
HJ Shipbuilding & Construction said on the 23rd that it formed a consortium with LIG Nex1 and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to win the core technology project for integrated control and autonomous mission systems for combat unmanned surface vessels, and signed a project agreement with the Korea Research Institute for defense Technology planning and advancement (KRIT) as the designer and builder of a verification platform for the unmanned surface vessel.
A combat unmanned surface vessel (USV) refers to an unmanned combat craft that performs search and engagement missions at sea through remote control or autonomous navigation without crew on board. While minimizing casualties on the friendly side, it can conduct surveillance, reconnaissance and combat missions through artificial intelligence (AI)-based automation technology, and is drawing attention as a key asset in future manned-unmanned teaming at sea.
The core technology project led by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Korea Research Institute for defense Technology planning and advancement (KRIT) aims to secure the technology needed for the system development of the combat unmanned surface vessel batch II.
LIG Nex1·HD Hyundai Heavy Industries·HJ Shipbuilding & Construction·the consortium plans to build a large unmanned surface vessel capable of verifying core technologies for integrated control systems and autonomous mission systems for combat unmanned surface vessels under this project.
Going forward, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HJ Shipbuilding & Construction will be responsible for the design and production of the unmanned surface vessel platform, and LIG Nex1 will verify core technologies for combat unmanned surface vessels and maximize performance by developing the USV integrated control system, the weapon control system and the autonomous mission system that organically integrate the platform and key components.
An HJ Shipbuilding & Construction official said, "Advanced countries are trending toward maximizing operational capability by developing unmanned surface vessels and operating manned-unmanned forces in an integrated manner," adding, "By actively participating in the development of high-performance, high-quality core technologies for combat unmanned surface vessels that will be a game changer on future battlefields, we will do our part to elevate the stature of K-defense."