L3Harris, Qatar’s Performance Marine Present 'Suhail' Autonomous USV at DIMDEX

L3Harris Technologies and Qatari shipbuilder Performance Marine showcased the first locally-built autonomous Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), Suhail, at the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX).

Designed and locally manufactured by Performance Marine, Suhail is a 39-foot USV that integrates L3Harris’ ASView control system technology. ASView, an open architecture software with embedded artificial intelligence and machine learning, enables unmanned or remote operations from ashore or sea-based control stations to execute pre-planned missions or autonomously adapt to dynamic conditions.

Performance Marine specializes in customized boats and has built high-speed interceptors for the Qatari Special Forces.

USVs offer an improved alternative to traditional manned boats. They can forward deploy in high-risk missions where concern for the security and safety of the crew is substantial. USVs enable long-range transits in rough sea conditions and can operate on the surface without putting the crew in harm’s way – revolutionizing seagoing capabilities. USVs have proven to deliver advancements in autonomy for greater situational awareness and improve maritime missions by delivering secure, actionable intelligence, enabling manned-unmanned teaming.