Trials of Inflatable Launch & Recovery System

Friday, December 15th, 2023

Last week, Steller Systems’ William Ainsworth, Alex Pardoe and Madeleine Arnold successfully completed open water trials of its Inflatable Launch and Recovery System (ILARS) against the exceptionally scenic backdrops of Gare Loch in Scotland.

The trials were conducted from RNMB Hellcat with the autonomous mine hunting team Wilton. ILARS was used to safely launch and recover an Iver 3 AUV under a range of speeds. Further tests were undertaken to test the towing limits of the ILARS with results surpassing expectations.

ILARS can launch and recover a vast range of marine systems and facilitate increased safety by minimising  human interaction during operations.  The system significantly reduces the impact on stowage requirements owing to its compact, inflatable design. These latest trials have proven a use case for both typical hull forms and more cylindrical AUVs.