Sentinel Boats and L3 Harris Partnership
During Indo Pac 2023, Sentinel Boats and L3Harris signed a strategic partnership agreement, signaling a commitment to explore mutual opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region. The partnership places each company as the preferred provider for clients but still allows Sentinel Boats to still work independently with fellow technology providers to meet the unique needs of individual customers.
Sentinel Boats CEO, George McGuire, said the partnership with L3Harris showcased the versatility of the Sentinel family of boats to support both autonomous and crewed missions.
“Sentinel Boats are pioneers in the use of HDPE as a next-generation boat-building material, which offers unique advantages in defence, first response and rescue sectors. By joining forces with L3Harris we are greatly expanding the range of possible applications for these vessels.”
L3Harris International Vice President VADM (ret.), Dave Johnson, said the Sentinel 1100 was a great platform to showcase the value of fully autonomous missions.
“The end result of combining our technology with Sentinel’s solutions, is a very efficient way to rapidly expand surface action group capability,” Johnson said.
“Our customers are embracing L3Harris’ autonomy to enable ISRT, force protection and other dangerous missions while keeping personnel out of harm’s way.”
During Indo Pac 2023, L3Harris’ world-leading autonomous systems were fitted to the Sentinel 1100 sea boat to demonstrate the range of missions that this type of technology could support. The on-water demonstrations left Darling Harbour at regular intervals with esteemed navy personnel on board. Once clear of the Sydney Harbour bridge, the Sentinel 1100 was safely switched into autonomous mode and driven by L3Harris crew members on an adjacent catamaran.
Pairing world-class autonomous capability with Sentinel’s unrivalled capability will allow for on-water operations to be extended from hours to days, reducing risk to personnel and greatly enhancing operational reach and endurance.
