18 November 2019

DSEI Japan 2019: New details emerge about MHI's CoasTitan system

by Gabriel Dominguez

Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has revealed more details about its CoasTitan coastal surveillance and security system.

Officials told Jane’s at the DSEI Japan 2019 defence exhibition in Chiba on the 18–20 November that this large-area, integrated surveillance network of sensors deployed from unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles (UAVs, USVs, and UUVs), as well as coastal facilities, is not only meant for use by private operators but also by the Japan Coast Guard and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

MHI displayed at DSEI Japan 2019 a VTOL UAV for use with its CoasTitan coastal surveillance and security system. (Gabriel Dominguez/IHS Markit)

One of the elements of CoasTitan is a commercially off-the-shelf vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV, which can vary according to the customer’s requirements. It is fitted with a MHI-developed autonomous control algorithm that enable the platform, which can also be operated from surface vessels, to conduct entire operations autonomously, including surveillance, tracking, data collection, and transmission, as well as take offs and landings.

The MHI-developed artificial intelligence (AI) technology also enables quick image recognition and identification, said the company.

At DSEI Japan 2019 MHI displayed a UAV that is currently being tested by the Japan Coast Guard as part of CoasTitan. The platform, the designation of which has yet to be announced, is about 2 m long and 80 cm wide, and has an endurance of up two hours.

Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has revealed more details about its CoasTitan coa...

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