Press & Media

Innovative Solutions to Address Maritime Surveillance Challenges

One example of innovative solutions addressing operational challenges comes from the field of warfighting, where the shortage of submarines has become a significant concern.

“The second example involves warfighting, specifically the challenge of producing enough submarines. We're currently only producing about 1.4 Virginia-class nuclear submarines annually, despite a goal of three per year. A portfolio company of ours, ThayerMahan, was founded by the former commander of the U.S. nuclear submarine fleet and addresses this shortfall.

ThayerMahan deploys long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance solutions using autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles. These vehicles can remain deployed for three months at a time, providing maritime surveillance for approximately $2 million per sensor. In comparison, a single nuclear submarine with one sonar and about 200 sailors costs roughly $2 billion.

This technology allows a single sailor to operate about 10 UUVs simultaneously, providing wider surveillance coverage and augmenting the capabilities of our submarine fleet. It's a highly efficient way to support maritime operations and compensate for the gap in submarine production while still meeting mission needs.

These are two efficiency examples we're particularly excited about: Gigaplex for the travel supply chain and ThayerMahan's solutions for maritime surveillance.

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