The Piranha Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV or
unmanned surface vehicle
Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), also known as unmanned surface vessels, autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) in some cases, uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), or colloquially drone ships, or robot boats, are boats or ships that operate on the ...
) is a watercraft developed by
Zyvex Marine
Zyvex Marine is a division of Zyvex Technologies, a molecular engineering company. Zyvex Marine develops boats that use Zyvex Technologies' proprietary nanomaterials.
History
Zyvex Marine was formally announced as a division of Zyvex Technologi ...
(a division of
Zyvex Technologies
Zyvex Technologies (formerly Zyvex Performance Materials, ZPM) is a molecular engineering company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Zyvex Technologies focuses on developing advanced materials, including prepreg, epoxy resins, and adhesives.
Histo ...
, formerly Zyvex Performance Materials) in 2010. The boat is 54 feet in length and weighs just 8,000 lbs. The Piranha is the first USV to utilize a lightweight carbon-nanotube enhanced composite material called Arovex, which allows the watercraft to weigh "significantly less" than any other USV.
The weight advantage from Arovex gives the Piranha a
payload
Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...
capacity of 15,000 lbs and a range of over 2,500 miles. Additionally, the carbon nanotubes provide a strength increase of 20–50% over traditional materials. With those characteristics, the Piranha is expected to be sold as a possible tool for anti-piracy, search and rescue, submarine hunting, and harbor patrol.
The first Piranha began construction in February 2010 with an anticipated completion date of summer 2010. The Piranha underwent sea trials near Seattle's Puget Sound during the months of October and November 2010.
The Piranha concluded approximately 6 months and 600
nautical miles
A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today t ...
of sea trials in Washington state and Oregon state on April 4, 2011.
References
External links
Zyvex Performance MaterialsPiranha USVArticle
at defensetech.com, 4/18/11.
Unmanned surface vehicles of USA
Vehicles introduced in 2010
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