Ricardo technology used in US Navy prototyping and experimentation exercise

Ricardo Defense announced today that its Mobile Fuel and Energy Management system has successfully completed its participation in Phase 1 of the US Navy’s Fight the Naval Force Forward Advanced Naval Technology Exercise.

The Ricardo Mobile Fuel and Energy Management (MFEM) system provides dynamic visibility and management of liquid fuel to help ensure that forces in the field have the resources needed to attain their objectives. The Ricardo MFEM provides the tools and information needed to understand fuel usage, distribution, and availability in the theatre of operations. Manual procedures for fuel management – measuring, collecting, aggregating, calculating usage, and projecting needs – are replaced with fully automated processes, significantly improving the commander’s ability to plan and monitor fuel use and status with the speed, accuracy, and efficiency needed for field operations. MFEM offers commanders with insight into fuel status that can be incorporated into a battlefield ‘Common Operating Picture.’
 
Ricardo Defense demonstrated the capabilities of the MFEM system during Phase 1 of the Fight the Naval Force Forward Experimentation Campaign, a multi-month exploration phase that allowed for the detailed assessment of technologies integrated into actual mission scenarios. Technologies were examined in live, virtual, or constructive simulation demonstrations, as a part of the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise over a two-week period concluding on 18 July.
 
The close collaboration with a wide-variety of system stakeholders during the exercise, positions Ricardo Defense well for future development and fielding of these capabilities. The Ricardo MFEM is now being assessed for a follow-on Phase 2 project that would include a 6 to 18-month prototyping period, limited use in the field and experimentation, as part of Fleet/Force Experiments and/or Rapid Fielding.
 
“We are very excited to have had the Ricardo MFEM included in this year’s Advanced Naval Technology Exercise,” commented Ricardo Defense president Chet Gryczan.  “MFEM helps improve military personnel decision making through an accurate, up-to-date shared view of fuel resources. The award of a Phase 2 effort, if granted, will validate the value of MFEM and pave the way for maturation of the capabilities it provides.”