Surveying the wavesU.K. defense company shows futuristic maritime vessle

Farnborough, Hampshire, U.K.-based QinetiQused last week’s DSEi show in London to unveil Sentry, a fast unmanned reconnaissance and surveillance craft. The company says its new vehicle brings together military design requirements with a compact water Jet Ski platform. The futuristic looking Sentry features an advanced stealth design and high-speed performance, and can carry multiple payloads. Sentry can be used in a variety of missions, including remote unmanned harbor patrol and security, battlefield reconnaissance, damage assessment, and intruder investigation.

The craft is capable of speeds of up to 50 knots and has an endurance of around six hours. It is 3.5 meters long, has a beam of 1.25 meters, and a height above the waterline of 1.1 meter. A simple PC-based remote control operations console allows full control of the vehicle and the onboard features from a non-visual line-of-sight operations location. The basic payload includes microwave datalink communications and camera with payload options comprising stabilized real-time day/night high resolution cameras, a full lighting rig which meets current maritime navigation standards, a loud-hailer system, and a smoke marker launcher. The enhanced RF control allows Sentry to operate at up to sixteen nautical miles — radar line-of-sight. There is also an autonomous system control module and autonomous mission planning software option.