The US Navy has awarded Applied Intuition a production contract to deploy an artificial intelligence (AI) perception system on five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, providing automated vessel detection and tracking capabilities.
The deployment will begin under the Navy’s DPRM Robotic and Autonomous Systems and PAE Mission Systems initiative. The contract also covers data infrastructure designed to support the collection, processing and sharing of operational data across manned and unmanned naval platforms.
The system, called Intelligent Perception System (IPS), is powered by Applied Intuition’s Acuity perception platform. It uses shipboard cameras and infrared sensors to detect, track and classify vessels in real time, displaying visual overlays and alerts for vessels on potentially dangerous trajectories.
IPS is designed to provide bridge watchstanders with an integrated picture of information from active and passive navigation sensors. It also supports situational awareness in the combat information center by displaying detected vessels, their classifications and predicted movements.
The contract builds on the Navy’s earlier Data Edge Collection Kit (DECK) prototyping program, which established infrastructure for collecting computer vision data aboard ships. According to Applied Intuition, the prototype collected thousands of hours of data for training AI models.
While DECK focused on data collection, IPS introduces operational AI capabilities aboard ships. The system will continue collecting operational data to support improvements to its models, while over-the-air software updates will allow new versions to be deployed without requiring ships to return to port.
The underlying infrastructure is intended to support additional AI applications beyond vessel perception. Onboard computing, sensor integration and data pipelines can be reused to deploy future detection and perception models through software updates.
IPS also manages satellite bandwidth for data sharing and generates machine-readable records of surface contacts. These records can support pattern-of-life analysis and intelligence sharing across the fleet, reducing reliance on manually transcribed paper logs.
Applied Intuition said the contract establishes a production-scale approach to deploying and updating AI capabilities across naval platforms. The company’s Data Engine infrastructure is intended to allow the navy to develop and field new models as operational requirements and threats change.