General Atomics awarded ONR contract

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems of San Diego, CA announced on December 20 that it has been awarded a contract from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to design and deliver an advanced permanent-magnet propulsion motor intended for use in large displacement unmanned undersea vehicles (LDUUVs).

“GA-EMS has taken a leadership role and committed significant internal resources to researching and developing new and unique electric power and energy technologies to support a variety of undersea vehicles and platforms,” stated Rolf Ziesing, vice president of programs at GA-EMS. “After completing a review of our motor’s capabilities and the applicability for undersea operations, we are very excited to take the next step to design and deliver a second-generation propulsion motor to ONR for further evaluation and eventual on-vehicle testing.”

Over the next 18 to 20 months, GA-EMS will design, build, and test the advanced permanent-magnet propulsion motor and deliver a complete motor system to ONR. Characterization and testing of the motor system will be conducted by the Pennsylvania State University Applied Research Laboratory (PSU-ARL). PSU-ARL is a center of excellence supporting the US Navy and ONR for undersea propulsion modeling and testing. In 2015, ONR funded a successful year-long study with GA-EMS and PSU-ARL to assess the operating characteristics of the motor’s design.

Source: General Atomics