L3 Technologies together with Sonardyne will offer 6G-enabled capability across its commercial autonomous vessel product range.
L3’s C-Stat 2 and C-Cat 3 autonomous vessels will be offered factory-fitted with Sonardyne’s 6G range of Ranger 2 Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) tracking and communications systems.
The C-Stat 2, equipped with Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 Gyro USBL model, is designed for operators needing to position underwater assets. According to L3, the platform will enable a range of tasks, such as touchdown monitoring, seismic cable lay operations, Compatt 6 Long BaseLine (LBL) array box-in and remote LBL baseline calibration, vehicle tracking and subsea sensor data collecting.
The C-Cat 3, equipped with Mini-Ranger 2, will be able to operate as a gateway for autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operations, enabling tracking and communications with up to 10 AUVs at the same time.
“ Combining our unrivalled autonomous vessel technology with Sonardyne’s industry-standard communication and positioning systems will enable us to provide end users with a fully integrated solution ,” said James Cowles , commercial technical sales manager, L3 UK. “ Factory fitting Sonardyne 6G also adds value to our existing solutions, making the transition from conventional manned survey platforms to autonomy a much smoother process for companies looking to gain the competitive edge with lower costs and safer data acquisition. ”
“ L3 and Sonardyne have a long history of successfully working together to deliver on cutting-edge technical programmes. Now L3’s customers will be able to access Sonardyne’s versatile 6G acoustic positioning, communication and sensing technology on proven commercial autonomous vessel platforms ,” said Ioseba Tena , global business manager – Marine Robotic Systems, Sonardyne. “ Combining these capabilities means customers have access to vessels that can perform more remote and autonomous marine operations; including tracking multiple AUVs and real-time data harvesting in hard to access environments across defence, offshore and ocean science sectors .”