Blackshape Optionally Piloted Vehicle Successfully Completes OCEAN 2020 Sea Demonstration.

Blackshape successfully completed the first phase of OCEAN2020 sea demonstration, the largest EU funded defence research project for maritime surveillance, led by Leonardo.

Blackshape Prime ISP (Picture source: Blackshape)

Coordinated by the Italian Navy, the first sea demonstration took place in the Gulf of Taranto and involved different space, naval, ground assets and remotely piloted systems, together with the Maritime Operation Centers (MOC) from Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal and the EU MOC prototype installed in the European Defence Agency.

The mission was focused on two scenarios: Fast Boat Interdiction (Intercept and neutralize a fast & light weaponized boat) and Interception of a Mine Laying Threat during an Amphibious Operation. Blackshape carried out its operations using a BK-ISP, an innovative aerial platform with OPV (Optionally Piloted Vehicle) capabilities. This configuration allows to perform specific intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance manned and unmanned missions, and with the ability to transfer data in real-time. The BK-ISP integrates different payloads (EO/IR, Radar) in two role-fit wing pods.

“We’re proud for the achievement in this initiative which set, for the first time, a European-level and result-oriented defence strategy”, said Luciano Belviso, CEO of Blackshape, “In different scenarios, we demonstrated our system can substantially increase situational awareness and homeland security, with a cost-effective hassle-free value proposition, while we keep developing our technologies in the field of remotely- and autonomous-piloting, moving one further step ahead towards their commercial exploitation”

During the demo, BK-ISP (Blackshape OPV platform) has shown its capability of detection and identification of sea objectives, providing augmented situational awareness to the Italian Maritime Operations Centre (IT-MOC), headquarter of the Naval Squad Command (CINCNAV).

Throughout the operation, Blackshape has successfully demonstrated how remotely-piloted fixed-wing, prop-driven vehicles can support surveillance and interdiction operations at-sea, within the interoperability capabilities at a European level.

OCEAN2020 is funded by the EU Preparatory Action on Defense Research) through grant n. 801697 and implemented by the European Defence Agency (EDA). It has the main objective to demonstrate enhanced situational awareness in a maritime environment through the integration of legacy and new technologies for unmanned systems, and ISTAR payloads, by pulling together the technical specialists in the maritime domain covering the “observing, orienting, deciding and acting” operational tasks. Coordinated by Leonardo, the team involving 42 entities is drawn from 15 countries across Europe.