Designed for rapid deployment from road, sea or air, VICTA is capable of transporting a crew of up to eight (two pilots and six divers) to a target drop-off from up to 250 NM out. The DDU’s seamless transition from surface craft to submersible, enabled by an innovative fly-by-wire control system, makes it a compelling prospect for worldwide defense markets. The unit’s impressive surface speed (c. 40 kts) is matched by its equally striking subsea performance, where four hours endurance is sufficient to navigate for 25 NM, fully submerged. Furthermore, compatibility with a standard ISO shipping container means that it is both globally deployable —without recourse to costly strategic platforms—and is relatively inconspicuous in terms of at-range mission insertion/extraction.
ALLIED FORCES
Subsea Craft’s partnership with BAR-Technologies has proven instrumental to R&D progress, and the two companies recently bolstered their alliance by signing a new five-year product development contract. The deal will see SubSea Craft co-locate with BAR Technologies, moving production to a purpose-built facility in Portsmouth, UK.
VICTA AT A GLANCE
Control System: VICTA’s is fully fly-by-wire, supported by an advanced control system developed in-house by BAR Technologies.
Command System: Developed by SCISYS, a Human-Machine Interface presents all vital performance, diagnostic and crew indicators.
Hull: The hull (carbon fiber and Diab core to yield an efficient strengthweight ratio) is capable of achieving a surfaced planning speed in excess of 40 kts and a cruise speed of 30 kts.
Surface Propulsion: Powered by a Seatek 725+ diesel engine which outputs 725 bhp, surface propulsion is provided by Kongsberg (RollsRoyce) Kamewa Water Jet series.
Subsea Propulsion: Two 20 kW electric thrusters provide forward propulsion, with pitch and roll control through forward and aft hydroplanes. Four Copenhagen thrusters ensure precise speed depth control.
Battery: sub Ctech Li-ion SmartPowerBlocksTM with built-in battery management systems provide 140 kW of power dedicated to subsea operation.
Life Support: Onboard open circuit air system provides eight operators with four hours of air (breathing rate of 18 lpm with a reserve of 20%).
Seating: Ullman Dynamics molded seats with advanced shock-absorbing systems are mounted on a rail attachment system. Reconfigurable based on mission.
Certification and Safety Case: Alongside DNV-GL certification, VICTA has Lloyd’s Register certification, and the safety case is developed in conjunction with BMT.
FUTURE PLANS
Plans are for VICTA to incorporate increased autonomous capabilities, both on the surface and below. This will inevitably broaden the maritime appeal of the craft for executing intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and target acquisition missions, but this continued focus on automation will also extend the applicability of VICTA as a digital platform, with the potential to harness and exploit data from across a myriad of onboard systems and sensors.
This story was originally featured in ON&T Magazine’s April 2021 issue. Click here to read more.
