Beacon Interactive Systems Awarded Navy Contract to Develop Platform for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

The U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants has awarded Beacon Interactive Systems a contract to develop a digital solution called Forward Logistics Expeditionary Platform.

Leveraging the company’s Beacon Platform software, FLEX seeks to address the management and sustainment needs of forward-deployed unmanned underwater vehicles, Beacon said.

The goal is to create a system that provides real-time awareness and fleet-wide coordination of UUV maintenance and operations, improving repair efficiency, asset availability and visibility into UUV readiness, configuration and logistics.

According to Beacon, the data collected by FLEX will be used for data analytics to inform critical decision-making in challenging logistical environments.

In collaboration with Proteq, the FLEX project is expected to advance the way unmanned systems, including underwater drones and aerial vehicles, are managed and sustained, the company said.

Mike MacEwen, Beacon’s president and chief technology officer, highlighted the contract as a key extension of their support capabilities, particularly as the Navy shifts focus to the Pacific.

Beacon’s existing solutions are already used across over 200 Navy ships and facilities.