US Navy Purchases Network Equipment from Persistent Systems for Littoral Operations

Persistent Systems, a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) technology company, has been awarded a $1.3 million contract by the U.S. Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific to deliver MPU5 networking devices and integrated sector antennas to support Navy operations in littoral and near-shore environments.

The equipment will create a secure network between unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), individual operators, ships and ground control stations (GCS). This network is expected to increase situational awareness and streamline littoral operations by consolidating data into a unified communications and command center.

Ed Leopold, U.S. Navy business development director for Persistent Systems, explained the benefits of the technology. “Integrating our Wave Relay® MANET technology with unmanned systems allows the Navy to access real-time data, including radar, sonar and CBRNe information. This capability supports safer shore landings and maintains situational awareness on ships,” he said. Leopold also noted that the new system significantly improves current procedures that require manual data acquisition from USVs.

Persistent Systems has been working with the Navy for nearly five years, testing MANET technology in a variety of expeditionary warfare scenarios. This latest contract represents the Navy’s largest investment to date in USV-focused MANET technology.

Wave Relay® MANET technology is already in use on a variety of naval platforms, including USVs, Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs), and patrol boats. Future testing will involve scaling the number of MANET nodes to increase both line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) capabilities.

Earlier this year, Persistent Systems received a $3.6 million contract to integrate its MPU5 devices with Navy sensors. The Navy’s continued investment in these technologies underscores its confidence in Persistent Systems’ solutions to improve operational capabilities.