Sealartec Wins USCG Contract to Test Autonomous LARS

USCGC Midgett, a Legend-class National Security Cutter. U.S. Coast Guard photo; source file supplied by Sealartec.

Technology previously demonstrated aboard the U.S. Navy's Stiletto test platform will advance to operational evaluation aboard a Legend-class National Security Cutter. Israel-based maritime technology company Sealartec has secured a U.S. Coast Guard contract under the Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Program to supply its ALR-S autonomous launch and recovery system for installation, testing and operational assessment aboard a Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC). The award advances the technology from an experimental U.S. Navy platform to a structured evaluation aboard one of the Coast Guard's largest and most capable cutters, targeting one of the more challenging aspects of maritime operations: safely recovering small boats onto moving vessels in increasingly difficult sea conditions. Sealartec's ALR-S technology is designed to automate the stern-ramp recovery process, reducing the need for manual intervention while minimizing the risks associated with relative motion between a small boat and its host vessel. During conventional stern-ramp recovery operations, wave action and differences in vessel movement can generate significant impact loads, potentially damaging equipment, injuring personnel and limiting the conditions under which recovery can be safely performed. ALR-S addresses these challenges by autonomously controlling the interaction between the recovering boat and the ship's stern ramp, with the objective of improving recovery consistency, reducing impact forces and expanding the operational envelope. The Coast Guard evaluation builds on a June 2025 demonstration aboard Stiletto, the U.S. Navy's Joint Prototyping and Experimentation Maritime test platform, in Norfolk, Virginia.

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