ZeroUSV, Oshen, and MarineAI to develop communications for underwater platforms
Interface of MarineAI's GuardianAI system showing identified contacts that are further inspected for information on their speed, heading, and predicted path. (MarineAI)
UK companies ZeroUSV, Oshen, and MarineAI will develop a communications capability to support underwater platforms with funding from the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), according to a 3 February press release from Oshen.
Under the programme, a constellation of Oshen's 1 m long C-Star unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) will be deployed using ZeroUSV's 12 m long Oceanus12 USV. The C-Star USVs use trailed hydrophones to provide a passive acoustic network with the capability to receive signals sent from unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) over an area of around 26 km 2 , as per the release. The hydrophones are “extremely low power”, Janes was told by Anahita Laverack, CEO of Oshen, in November 2025. “The part that is power heavy is processing the acoustic data that you've collected,” Laverack added. The C-Stars can also use passive acoustic sensors for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensors for visual surveillance above the waterline.
The 10-month programme funded by DASA, now a part of the UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) organisation, will combine USVs, passive acoustic monitoring, and embedded software processing into a single integrated system. The programme includes an initial design, integration, and sea-trial phase. The findings are expected to be used for future concepts.
The Oceanus12 USV has a range of 4,630 km and a payload of 1,000 kg. Oceanus12 can achieve a speed of 10 kt and installed power is software limited to 40 kW; however, 80 kW of power can be made available, according to Janes Unmanned Maritime Vehicles
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