Caterpillar collaborates with Serco to power NOMARS USV

DARPA NOMARS USV on SERCO stand at Sea Air Space 2024.
DARPA NOMARS USV on SERCO stand at Sea Air Space 2024.
On March 27, 2024, Caterpillar Marine announced the successful completion of key milestones with Serco Inc., a provider of professional, technology, engineering, and management services, to advance the use of autonomous vessels for naval applications. The initiative supports the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) project.
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Caterpillar press release

Autonomous unmanned vessels represent an opportunity to protect crews from the inhospitable, dangerous environment encountered at sea. This technological advancement not only promotes safety but also cost savings, as eliminating crew quarters and onboard living requirements reduces shipbuilding costs. Cat® marine-certified engines hold the distinction of meeting the rigorous reliability, durability, performance monitoring and speed requirements to operate at sea at 90% availability for one year without manned intervention. 

“We’re excited to be part of one of the most important technological disruptions in the maritime industry. Beyond naval applications, autonomous ship designs can positively impact cargo transportation and energy sectors as well to help strengthen the supply chains for each.”



Randy Tymofichuck, VP and GM of Caterpillar Defense
CATERPILLAR SAS 2024
Post showing the range of CAT marine diesel engines at Sea Air Space 2024.

“Captains and maintenance crews are essential for any maritime application, and we can enable them to do their jobs more safely by employing autonomous vessels,” added Ryan Maatta, chief marine engineer and marine engineering manager at Serco. “Over the years, we’ve experienced the reliability, dependability and performance of Cat engines in our ship designs and Caterpillar’s technology brings all those factors to bear in this project plus impressive technical support.” 

The autonomous technology successes of Caterpillar expand beyond the maritime industry to include onshore mining, sonar and space applications. 

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Naval News comments:

Launched by DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office in 2020, NOMARS has been established to build and demonstrate a medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) that can go to sea and perform missions with unprecedented reliability and availability, while also carrying a significant payload. The intention is that the NOMARS vessel and sub-systems should be able to operate for missions lasting many months at a time with no manned interventions between yearly maintenance cycles.

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