The Office of Naval Research has selected UTC Aerospace Systems for the continued development of a long-endurance propulsion system for unmanned undersea vehicles, the company said Wednesday.
As part of the next phase of development, UTC Aerospace Systems has been tasked with the continued design and development of a proton exchange membrane-based fuel cell energy system for unmanned undersea vehicles with a 21-inch diameter.
The proton system could replace battery systems by providing greater range and operational flexibility, said UTC Aerospace Systems, a division of
United Technologies [UTX].
In the previous phase, the system operated for 30 hours using an integrated cryogenic reactant system and fuel cell power plant to provide 42 kWh of total energy over a power range of 100 to 3800 watts.
The technology is being developed under the ONR’s Long Endurance Undersea Vehicle Propulsion (LEUVP) energy program.