Seakeeper Gyro stabilizes unmanned ultra-lightweight composite boat

Designed to provide unparalleled reach and capabilities for today’s surface fleet, the Piranha USV (unmanned surface vessel) from Zyvex Technologies is the largest boat built from nano-enhanced materials. Constructed entirely of Arovex, a nanotube-reinforced carbon fiber, the 16.5m boat weighs only 3,630kg and can carry up to 6,800kg more than 4,000km. To stabilize the vessel, Zyvex selected a Seakeeper Gyro Stabilization System.

“Stability is especially important on a vessel intended for unmanned operations,” said Zyvex director of defense applications Mike Nemeth. “The Piranha is so lightweight that the Seakeeper’s impact on the stability is amplified. Since we were able to develop the Piranha from a clean sheet design perspective, we had the opportunity to incorporate the latest systems without compromising other requirements.”
The efficient Piranha USV is designed to perform a wide range of applications, such as surface surveillance, antipiracy, search and rescue, submarine warfare, mine countermeasures and harbor patrol. Compared to other existing USVs, the Piranha has triple the capacity and ten times the range. Unmanned, it will reduce risk and provide greater capability for missions at a dramatically lower cost.

“The Seakeeper has exceeded expectations during the initial sea trials,” said Nemeth. “We’ve already faced sea state 4 conditions in the Pacific near Seattle and expect to find rougher seas as the weather worsens.”
Zyvex Technologies is the leader in unlocking the power of the carbon nanotube, the strongest material in the world. The company’s nano-enhanced materials have improved products across many industries, including marine, defense, automotive and sporting goods, making them stronger, lighter and tougher and reducing overall costs.
“Seakeeper has been very responsive throughout the initial build of Piranha,” said Nemeth. “As part of future concepts for 2011, Zyvex plans to develop more lightweight, fuel-efficient craft through our materials technology with stabilization from Seakeeper.”
Seakeeper is a global leader in internal stabilization technology. Its actively-controlled gyros deliver a powerful righting force for unmatched stability while at anchor, zero and low speeds or underway.

Contact Seakeeper, P.O. Box 809, California, MD 20688 USA.
+1-410-326-1590; Fax: +1-410-326-1199. [email protected], www.seakeeper.com.