If current conflicts serve as any indication, the open seas will likely play a large role in the next American military conflict. Key battles involving Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, Ukraine, Russia and China all demonstrate that the U.S. is falling behind when it comes to maritime warfare.
Current constraints on American shipbuilding are hindering military efforts to keep pace with near-peer adversaries. It’s a problem without an easy solution.
“You can see there are the demand signals for the larger Navy that we have out there,” Adm. Lisa Marie Franchetti, chief of naval operations for the Navy, said. “We have 88 ships under contract. We have 66 under construction there’s 57 if you look across the fit-up. We know we need a larger Navy. Every study since 2016 has shown that, and I think the most effective way to work on that right now is to invest in our industrial base.”
Maritime innovation will play a key role in helping the U.S. keep pace. Several defense contractors brought innovative solutions to the table. Companies like JFD proposed a tactical diving vehicle and Hefring Marine created artificial intelligence software to make naval operations more efficient.
JFD created two vessels, the “Carrier Seal” and the “Shadow Seal.” While the watercraft look like something out of a James Bond movie, there is nothing fictional about them.
“They are designed to take people into an area discreetly, without any sort of degree of detection,” Matt Harman, head of tactical diving vehicles for JFD, said. “The quieter and the more sneaky you can do that the better.”
The Carrier Seal can carry a crew of eight at fast speeds, making it useful for crew and equipment delivery and reconnaissance missions. The Shadow Seal fits the bill for smaller missions. Parachutes can deploy the four-man craft out on open water. The vessel can also dive down to 80 feet below the surface.
While JFD provided solutions for new designs, Hefring Marine’s designs help the Navy retrofit existing vessels in the fleet. The Iceland-based startup brought its Intelligent Marine Assistance System (IMAS) to the 2024 Special Operations Forces Week convention.
“This box here is a computer that will essentially connect to all instruments on board will connect to the engines on board and connect to the navigation systems, weather station, any sensors,” Karl Birgir Björnsson, CEO and co-founder of Hefring Marine, said. ” But then we also place our own sensor, which is inertial measurement units that will capture the full range of motions of the vessel in real-time.”
IMAS can then take that data and analyze everything happening around the boat to optimize its speed for maximum fuel efficiency. Hefring Marine said its data showed fuel-optimized speed guidance can reduce consumption by up to 25%.
IMAS can also analyze data to maximize passenger and crew safety. The technology can help adjust course for bad weather and optimize accelerations and decelerations for a smoother ride.
Hefering Marine does not have a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense yet. However, the company reached agreements with the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue, Safe Boats International and an additional 2 million euros in funding in the past six months.
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