NSWCPC working with Marines AAV

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - The Navy and the Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) recently harnessed the power of unmanned technology in successfully testing the Remote Control Assault Amphibious Vehicle (RC AAV). AAVs are structured to carry troops in water operations from ship-to-shore, through rough water and the surf zone, according to Dustin Bride, system engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla. “This modernized upgrade will allow the Marine Corps to remotely traverse from ship-to-shore with an organic vehicle capability to breach and proof lanes and landing zones for landing forces.” NSWCPC’s RC AAV team spent two weeks testing in the open ocean and surf zone at the Marines’ Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch at Camp Pendleton, Calif. The duo are concurrently developing three remote breaching/proofing mission sets for the RC AAV’s control system. To accomplish this, NSWCPC is leveraging optimal technical expertise by networking with experts across DoD’s littoral battlespace communities. There are two additional unmanned remote breaching/proofing sets under development. According to Bride, further development and testing of the RC AAV with the breaching mission sets will occur over the next two years. The end goal is to demonstrate that the RC AAV is a logical and suitable choice for the future of the Marine Corps’ investment into unmanned ground and amphibious platforms, according to Bride. “These upgrades will create a more efficient and lethal force that can come from land or sea.” Stephen Hunt, head of Expeditionary and Maritime Systems Department at NSWCPC believers that DoD is “ushering in a new cultural shift that encourages the NR&DE to collaborate in order to make rapid, impactful advances in capability.” (Source: NSWCPC 09/04/19)