L3Harris | Calzoni is a leading manufacturer of defence and civilian maritime solutions, including advanced autonomy for uncrewed maritime vehicles, information warfare mission systems and networks, and more.
With nearly a century of innovation history, the company uses the latest technological advancements to provide its customers with high-quality and reliable sea surface and underwater solutions.
Autonomous maritime systems
L3Harris | Calzoni is an industry leader in the uncrewed and autonomous systems sector. The company’s series of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), autonomous surface vehicles, and uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) use the latest quadrotor technology to provide maximum performance. Using advancements in autonomous systems technology, such as virtual take-off and landing capabilities, L3Harris | Calzoni’s systems allow customers to perform higher-risk missions, expand their operational reach, and extend operational capabilities.
L3Harris | Calzoni has delivered over 450 autonomous uncrewed undersea and surface maritime vehicles to clients across the world, including customers from the defence, gas, oil, and scientific sectors. The company’s range of uncrewed vessels can be used alongside any existing sensors, sonars, or weapons, and can be operated either remotely, semi-autonomously, or fully autonomously. This provides clients with a more flexible way of working, as tedious manual work can now be carried out by these systems, meaning fewer people are needed for field operations. Instead, staff are now free to focus on more critical tasks that require their direct attention.
Using autonomous systems also helps to improve safety for workers, as uncrewed systems can perform dangerous tasks, such as piracy surveillance, mine hunting, or deep-sea surveying, without any risk to human lives. All of the company’s systems undergo rigorous testing and development to create the safest, most efficient, and most reliable maritime solutions. As one of the industry’s most successful, experienced, and tested developers, L3Harris | Calzoni’s uncrewed surface vehicles have performed over 2,100 hours at sea, without any human intervention. This is three times as many hours as its competitors, which has allowed the company to develop mission autonomy, as well as hull, mechanical and electrical (HM&E) autonomy, to further improve its autonomous vehicle operations.
L3Harris was recently awarded a Prime contract from the US Navy for the medium uncrewed surface vehicle (MUSV), marking the US Navy’s first major contract award for USVs. The company was chosen due to its previous experience and successful work for the Strategic Capabilities Office. Internationally, L3Harris also works with the UK and France as the vehicle and autonomy provider for the UK-France mine countermeasure programme.
Uncrewed minehunting systems
L3Harris | Calzoni’s USVs can also carry out minesweeping operations using its uncrewed mine countermeasure module (MCM) and the company’s Hunterwater minesweeping system. It can safely perform the complete standoff minehunting operating cycle and has the added benefit of reducing operational costs.
The Hunterwater system manages the robotic onboard MCM kit using the launch and recovery systems (LARS). The MCM kit is comprised of the following robotic units:
- A hybrid, remotely operated vehicle and sidescan sonar (ROVSCAN) mine countermeasure module, which performs site surveys and precise acoustic localisation (PAL) of threats
- A disposable, compact, acoustic guided vehicle (VGA) that uses automatic target reacquisition and acoustic rays to perform the countermine mission
The system can be used for multiple/parallel search and identification missions and can also be used alongside other USV systems or underwater vehicles.
Autonomous man-overboard search and rescue
The Picasso system is an autonomous system for man-overboard (MOB) search and rescue missions. Based on an aerial drone, the system uses optical sensors and automatic target-recognition algorithms and is designed to be installed on board a vessel.
Advantages of the Picasso system include:
- Autonomous navigation capabilities
- Autonomous detection and recognition
- Real-time imaging and onboard recording
- Automatic take-off and landing abilities
- The ability to automatically search areas and paths using environmental data or ship tracking
Specialised software analyses images from daylight and infrared cameras to look for the MOB across the sea surface. Machine learning then performs classification and recognition through the onboard controller. Users can monitor the whole mission via the control unit and commands and telemetry are exchanged through a WiFi radio link. At any time during the mission, operators can also take direct control of the drone.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning for maritime missions
L3Harris | Calzoni’s success in the USV sector is based upon its ASView control system, which uses a combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide users with autonomy and mission and situational awareness. With the ASView system, customers can control uncrewed and remote operations from an on-land control station and carry out pre-programmed missions and real-time operations. This technology allows vessels to operate at sea for months at a time, without human intervention.
Surface vehicle capabilities
In addition to its autonomous systems, L3Harris | Calzoni also provides equipment for surface combatants, including aircraft elevators and ship lifts, helipad visual landing aids, hangar doors, and launch and recovery systems.
L3Harris | Calzoni has extensive experience in supplying handling equipment for ships, allowing the company to design and manufacture aircraft elevators and lifting platforms for a variety of shipborne applications. These lifts can be used to transport people, loads, or vehicles hosted onboard, and are also shock qualified.
For military customers, L3Harris | Calzoni also designs and manufactures customised marine doors for shipborne applications that comply with the strict military and shipping register requirements. The company provides electrically or hydraulically operated doors that meet the highest levels of safety and durability. The doors are fire resistant from A0 to A60 and are green water resistant to meet the criteria of many different shipping registers.
L3Harris | Calzoni provides customisable launch and recovery systems for navies to launch and recover rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), USVs, and daughter crafts from surface combatant ships. This enables personnel and equipment to be deployed at sea, allowing the vessel to carry out a wider range of naval warfare operations.
