On July 11th 2009 Speaker of the House of Representative Nancy Pelosi, along with Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Congressman Jim Langevin made a special visit to the Aquidneck Corporate Park, home to Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow (ASFT) Newport office, to see a State-of-The-Art Manufacturing, Integration, and test facility for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’S). The facility can build and test up to eight (8) units simultaneously. Mr. Wayne King, Executive Vice President and COO, Stated that “ASFT is making a significant investment in this facility that will ultimately result in new jobs in the State of Rhode Island. One of our goals is to expand our current government service work to include product development, which we will commercialize to new markets such as the oil and gas industry”.
The Mid-Sized Autonomous Reconfigurable Vehicle (MARV) is a state-of-the-art UUV providing the cost and manageability benefits associated with the mid-size class of vehicles. Features include the latest processing technology, a highly accurate navigation system, built-in portable tracking, and acoustic, and RF communications, all in a reconfigurable package.
Working jointly with the NAVY, ASFT will manufacture the first proof of production unit called “MARV III” which will roll out the door for in-water evaluation in January. Mr. Phil Higgins, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for ASFT see’s MARV III as “a cost-effective alternative for the NAVY to provide interim capability for the protection of the fleet”. Mr. Higgins also stated that “We need to keep our eyes open to inserting new technologies, increase the performance envelope and to find ways to reduce manufacturing time and cost of these systems”.
Mr. Anjan Dutta-Gupta, President and CEO, is leading ASFT’s initiative to also explore the commercial potential for AUV’s. “I strongly support our ongoing efforts. The potential for these types of vehicles with a modular design is extremely beneficial. It will allow us to rapidly integrate new sensors and new technologies as they are developed. We will be able to customize a unique mission package for any customers’ needs. The commercial potentials for AUVs in Archeological, Environmental, Scientific Research and Exploration are creating a very exciting future for us”.
ASFT is planning on producing 8 more AUVs over the next two years.