The development of a long-endurance, marine unmanned surface vessel is being undertaken for Britain by Autonomous Surface Vehicles Ltd.

The Phase 2 contract for the Long Endurance Marine Unmanned Surface Vehicle project was awarded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the Defense, Science and Technology Laboratories, part of the Ministry of Defense.

ASV said its team includes Cosworth, for generator systems; Hyperdrive Ltd, which will investigate motor options and power management systems; and Cranfield University for collision avoidance technologies.

Under the award ASV will design, build, and conduct sea trials of a fully operational LEMUSV "C-Enduro 4" vessel, which could be deployed at sea for periods of as much as three months.

ASV said the C-Enduro vessel concept embraces three energy systems -- solar panels, a wind generator and a lightweight diesel generator. All were trialed in Phase 1 of the project.

"Detailed calculations and tests show that this selection, combined with efficient power management and command and control systems packaged in a rugged self-righting vehicle, provides the greatest likelihood of meeting the performance requirements of this project," it said.

The monetary value of the contract and additional details were not disclosed.