A Bristol defense contractor and Raytheon successfully tested an advanced unmanned underwater vehicle in Narragansett Bay, going from initial concept to water testing in just four months.
Composite Energy Technologies (CET) and Raytheon, an RTX business, completed the demonstration of their extended-range Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle designed to deliver payloads over long distances. The autonomous vessel is powered by Navy-developed software.
The drone performed autonomous mission profiles in Narragansett Bay while monitored by a support vessel before surfacing successfully.
“This demonstration marks a significant step forward in operationalizing and implementing both Raytheon and Navy-governed capabilities for uncrewed systems,” said Jen Gauthier, vice president of Naval Systems & Sustainment at Raytheon.
The four-month development timeline from paper concept to water testing demonstrates the advantages of using open-architecture software developed by the Navy, according to the companies.
Chase Hogoboom, CET’s president, said the company leveraged previous Navy investments to develop a capability that will reduce future government costs. The modular vehicle platform uses commercial off-the-shelf components and is ready for scaled production.
The test represents progress toward fielding long-range underwater drones capable of complex missions, including payload delivery in contested maritime environments.
CET designs and integrates autonomous undersea systems for commercial and defense customers worldwide. The Bristol company’s partnership with Raytheon highlights the region’s role in developing maritime defense technologies.
The demonstration took place in Narragansett Bay, which separates Aquidneck Island communities including Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth from the mainland.