MARTAC News

Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. and Telestra Technologies Announce Strategic Alliance

September 01, 2021

Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. And Telestra Technologies Announce Strategic Alliance To Market The Devil Ray/MANTAS Unmanned Autonomous Surveying Solution Addressing The Multi-Environment Challenges And Swarming Needs Of Modern Hydrographic Surveying

Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. (“MARTAC”) and Telestra Technologies (“Telestra”) announce a strategic alliance to market and sell the Devil Ray/MANTAS Unmanned Surface Vessel System (“MANTAS”) to the hydrographic surveying market. This MANTAS Solution combines the high performance of a fully autonomous and precise unmanned surface vessel with the powerful capabilities of modern echosounder sensors to survey bathymetry, inspect assets and detect objects. MARTAC has successfully demonstrated hydrographic swarms in multiple exercises and has the industry expertise and experience in adapting the MANTAS USV to the needs of the hydrographic market. Telestra has the hydrographic market and related sensor kit experience to provide real-world solutions to the modern hydrographic surveying community.

There are many USV’s in the market supporting surveying and inspection capabilities; however, the MANTAS USV is different because it can perform in challenging environments beyond human capability, is highly reliable and has extended on task endurance. Through modern sensors and software, MANTAS and Telestra offer solutions that perform hydrographic swarms resulting in increased coverage area and reducing human involvement in the process.

The MANTAS™ USV is a multi-environment catamaran proficient at performing in open ocean, littoral, riverine and inland waters. Currently, the MANTAS T8 (2.0m) and T12 (3.6m) variants and the Devil Ray T24 (7.3m), T38 (11m) and T48 (15m) variants can all integrate above and below-surface kits and have high burst and cruise speeds to survey in conditions where other USVs cannot. When combined with the robust TASKER™ Command and Control (C2) System and high precision navigation modules and appropriate mission related sensors, the MANTAS™ is a cost effective, low risk solution delivering greater mission flexibility than traditional manned systems.

Telestra is a leading provider of support and products for seafloor mapping, offshore positioning, and underwater detection. They provide expertise and technology for bathymetric mapping and hydrographic surveying. Telestra works closely with MARTAC to integrate various sensor kits in the MANTAS USV solutions to meet the strict requirements of the hydrographic market. This includes the successful integration of multiple echosounder and positioning technologies and hydrographic software to address the requirements of the hydrographic community along with swarm hydrographic capabilities.

Of the recent MARTAC – Telestra Strategic Alliance, MARTAC’s Chief Marketing Officer, Stephen Ferretti said, “We are excited about our relationship with Telestra in launching and marketing the next generation of MANTAS USV solutions to the hydrographic market. Telestra continues to be a valuable partner in helping the MANTAS USV become the powerful autonomous, unmanned solution for professional hydrographers. Telestra’s expertise has helped MARTAC develop a better hydrographic solution. We look forward to working with Telestra as a reseller to market the MANTAS USV directly to the hydrographic market.”

Christian Shaw, Southeast Region Manager and owner of Telestra believes that “The MANTAS USV system is an ideal unmanned bathymetric solution because of its stability, robustness and capability. The MANTAS USV hull is rigid with its unique advanced design and robust materials making it light-weight and strong allowing it to perform ultra-high-resolution bathymetry in challenging environments. These hull dynamics result in long baseline GNSS antennas, IMU, and sensor (sonar/LiDAR) remaining fixed for better hydrographic outcomes. Because of its extreme performance envelope, the MANTAS USV is also capable of cruise and burst speeds to stay clear of danger, even with the sonar deployed. This performance, combined with innovative Launch and Recovery solutions such as the MARTAC All-Terrain Crawler allow it to operate in diverse environments and terrains. Finally, the MANTAS USV has the ability for long duration runs and persistence, thereby reducing or eliminating the need to swap batteries during a survey. This reduces risk to hydrographic solutions. This is not another plastic “me-too” boat – it’s military grade technology backed by professionals who won’t accept failures.”

Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. is an innovator in the development and manufacture of Unmanned Maritime Systems. MARTAC offers a wide range of unmanned solutions to military, government, and commercial markets.

Telestra Technologies was established in 2020 through several experienced industry professionals to offer the premiere ocean technology partner to the Americas. With its head office in Houston and locations throughout the United States, Canada and Brazil, Telestra represent many of the industry leading manufacturers. Their diverse team provides unique expertise in various markets including oceanography, hydrometric survey, aquaculture, hydrographic survey, marine construction, dredging & reclamation, renewables and instrumentation manufacturing; while encompassing sales, rental, service and repair, installation, calibration, field personnel and project management.