Office of Naval Research signs deal to design, develop large UUV motors
NewsDecember 21, 2017
SAN DIEGO. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has won 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).
Under the terms of the contract, GA-EMS will design, build, and test -- over the next 18 to 20 months -- 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), which serves as a center of excellence supporting the U.S. Navy and ONR in the area of undersea propulsion modeling and testing. Several years ago, ONR funded a successful year-long study with GA-EMS and PSU-ARL to assess the operating characteristics of such a motor's possible design.
