The Army is looking for small uncrewed boats that can support efforts to distribute supplies to troops at sea across the Indo-Pacific region, given a dwindling workforce and aging fleet at Army Watercraft Systems, according to a Defense Innovation Unit call for submissions.

The current fleet also lacks the overall payload capacity necessary to move supplies at the pace and efficiency required for operational forces, DIU said.

“This risk is compounded in contested environments where adversaries can target the high value and personnel-intensive targets in the supply chain,” DIU said.

Submissions for the Autonomous Resupply Vessel opening are due June 12, the post states.

ARV-S will primarily be used to resupply cargo containers with 20-ft shipping container capacities to forward-deployed units in the Indo-Pacific, DIU said.

Preferred ARV-S proposals should be able to travel 1,600 nautical miles round trip or more in moderate breeze conditions, capable of routine operations in fresh breeze conditions and survivable at strong breeze conditions at sea. The vessels should be capable of carrying at least two 20-foot shipping container equivalents’ worth of cargo, with total cargo weight at up to 26.5 short tons per cargo unit.

Ideal platforms should also possess hull, mechanical and electrical systems, as well as critical systems designed to reliably endure without onboard human intervention for the duration of the trip. Proposed vessels should be compatible with helicopters and drones for unloading, as well as standard pier infrastructure for unloading and loading.

Command-and-control systems connected for proposed vessels should be able to provide situational awareness at multiple points for dozens or more ARV-S's, while the vessel itself must be capable of autonomous at-sea transit using both active and passive sensors. Final approaches should be remote-controlled and autonomy control and monitoring should be accessible to other systems via open interfaces.

Any proposed prototype must have a realistic path to scaled production, given the Defense Department may require the rapid manufacturing of dozens or more ARV-S's in the end. Proposed vessel prototypes should be ready for demonstration on water within 12 months of awarding, DIU said.