According to a Tweet released by the US Navy Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) on June 4, 2020, 1 of 2 Ghost Fleet Overlord test vessels completed a total of two 4-day autonomous transits, with 181+ hours of International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGs)-compliant autonomous operations--over 3,200 nautical miles.
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A Ghost Fleet Overlord test vessel (Picture source Twitter account NAVSEA)
The Overlord program, developed by the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office in partnership with Program Executive Office, Unmanned and Small Combatants, will play a vital role informing the Navy’s new classes of unmanned surface vessels.
Following information provided by the NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command), the Overlord program of U.S. Navy consists of two phases:
Phase I converted two existing commercial fast supply vessels into USVs and focused on autonomy system integration; demonstration of navigational autonomy; and hull, mechanical and electrical system reliability upgrades. Phase I concluded in September with a successful capstone demonstration of both Overlord vessels executing interactions compliant with the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS). Along with reliability of systems tests, more than 600 hours of autonomy testing was successfully completed during Phase I, including several long-range autonomous transits in a complex navigational environment.
Phase II will be conducted using the same ships from Phase I and will focus on the integration of government-furnished command-and-control systems and payloads and involve more complex and challenging naval experimentation. Phase II will complete in Fiscal Year 2021 at which point the Overlord vessels will transition to the Navy for further experimentation.
The experiences gleaned from both Phase I and II of Overlord are designed to inform and accelerate the Navy’s Large and Medium USV programs, which are managed by the same team in PEO USC.
