Autonomous Vehicles in Support of Naval Operations (2005) / Chapter Skim
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5 Unmanned Surface and Undersea Vehicles: Capabilities and Potential
5 Unmanned Surface and Undersea Vehicles: Capabilities and Potential
Pages 116-134
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From page 116... ...
and unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) as nodes in sensor and communications networks.
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From page 117... ...
THE POTENTIAL OF AUTONOMOUS UNDERSEA AND SURFACE VEHICLES FOR NAVAL OPERATIONS Unmanned underwater vehicles already play a significant role in naval warfare -- the most obvious example being the torpedo. In recent years, several developmental systems have reached levels of maturity at which they can be used in direct support of combat operations.
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From page 118... ...
Today's systems are described by NAVSEA PMS 403 (Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Program Office in the Naval Sea Systems Command) to be the development of a number of "stovepiped" systems leading to the production of similarly stovepiped systems.
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From page 119... ...
To complete the picture, the UUV may be able to obtain data from companion USVs performing maritime reconnaissance tasks, deploy a small buoy or antenna to the surface to gain GPS and timing updates, provide onboard processing to fuse the results, and, finally, deploy another small buoy or antenna providing a burst transmission to either a satellite or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communications relay, thereby allowing the Navy to enjoy a persistent, real-time alert-and-warning capability.
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From page 120... ...
OVERVIEW OF UNMANNED SURFACE AND UNDERSEA VEHICLES AVAILABLE OR IN DEVELOPMENT This section provides an overview of the current status of the Navy's programs for utilizing unmanned surface vehicles and unmanned undersea vehicles. Table 5.1 summarizes the characteristics of a number of these vehicles.
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From page 121... ...
USV Spartan 8 h 0 >28 kt 2,600 lb 07 m length TBD Owl 7.5 h 0 <45 kt 1,100 lb 09.7 ft TBD 450 lb Roboski 50 nmi 0 >42 kt 460 lb 09 ft TBD RMS 17 h 1 >12 kt 4,000 kg 21 ft TBD UUV SAHRV 6 h @ 4 kt 100 >05 kt 36 kg 0.2 × 1.6 m 03 LDUUV 5 h @ 6 kt 200 >12 kt 2,450 kg 0.7 × 8 m 13 BPAUV TBD 300 >06 kt 400 kg 0.5 × 3 m 06 NOTE: FY, Fiscal Year; USV, unmanned surface vehicle; UUV, unmanned underwater vehicle; RMS, Remote Minehunting System; SAHRV, semiautonomous hydrographic reconnaissance vehicle; LDUUV, long-distance unmanned undersea vehicle; BPAUV, battlespace planning autonomous underwater vehicle; TBD, to be determined; nmi, nautical miles; kt, knot. SOURCE: Clifford Funnell (ed.)
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From page 122... ...
However, various systems engineering aspects of these systems have not been adequately addressed, including how they will communicate with one another, with other unmanned vehicles, and with manned undersea, surface, and air systems; what sensor suites they might employ; and how they would best be launched and recovered. Although current USV systems are used in a remotely controlled mode, opportunities for these systems, when used in an autonomous and adaptive control mode, are significant.
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From page 123... ...
Unmanned Undersea Vehicles Unmanned undersea vehicles are the most recent manifestations of a series of vehicles replacing divers to do work in the ocean. Manned undersea vehicles, usually called deep submergence vehicles (DSVs)
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From page 124... ...
In other situations in which the task is routine and can be programmed, untethered systems, unmanned undersea vehicles, without need for umbilical links, that are either partially or totally autonomous, are an attractive alternative. Elimination of the umbilical link also reduces drag.
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From page 125... ...
Concurrent developmental efforts include vehicles to conduct harbor search and the clearance and reconnaissance of waters up to 300 ft deep and, leveraging the Joint Robotics Program, to develop ground crawlers to work in the surf zone. REMUS was used in Operation Iraqi Freedom by Special Forces, and it was used for explosive ordnance disposal in mine reconnaissance missions in the waterway and in the port of Umm Qasr.
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From page 126... ...
The LMRS is a follow-on to the Near-Term Mine Reconnaissance System (NMRS) , which was built to meet the specific needs of the submarine community to have a semiautonomous vehicle to perform reconnaissance ahead of the submarine.
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From page 127... ...
Multi-Reconfigurable Unmanned Undersea Vehicle The multi-reconfigurable unmanned undersea vehicle (MRUUV) is the next step in the development of UUVs.
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From page 128... ...
NAVAL OPERATIONAL NEEDS AND TECHNOLOGY ISSUES The key naval operational needs and technical issues to be resolved in order to facilitate unmanned surface and undersea vehicles are delineated below. Some are common issues for both the USVs and UUVs: · Autonomous adaptive control systems, able to utilize sensor data in navigational and sensor control decisions.
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From page 129... ...
The continued miniaturization of acoustic and EO sensors and corresponding reductions in power requirements will make these sensor systems attractive for unmanned undersea systems. The reductions in size and power requirements, together with the expectation of significant onboard processing and fusion of raw sensor data, are extremely important in the context of the limited bandwidth of acoustic undersea communications, especially in shallow-water applications.
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From page 130... ...
Underwater acoustics will be the enabling technology for unmanned undersea vehicles. In shallow water, the communications problem is even more complex and challenging because of the proximity of both the surface and the bottom reflections; this area of active research has met with some success.
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From page 131... ...
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The conclusions and recommendations based on the preceding discussions are presented in the following subsections. Conclusions Concerning Unmanned Surface and Undersea Vehicles Unmanned Surface Vehicle Roadmap While the Navy's roadmap for unmanned undersea vehicle development is quite extensive and comprehensive, there is no similar planning document for unmanned surface vehicles.
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From page 132... ...
Similarly, there is an increasing need for onboard autonomy that can facilitate the employment of multiple cooperative vehicles, both unmanned and manned. Energy Storage for Unmanned Undersea Vehicles The range and endurance of UUVs are directly dependent upon their onboard energy-storage capabilities.
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From page 133... ...
Training The complexity of complete UUV/USV systems, including the launch-andrecovery subsystems, demand well-planned and well-executed operations and maintenance training for those responsible for these systems. Recommendations Concerning Unmanned Surface Vehicles and Unmanned Undersea Vehicles Recommendation: The Navy and Marine Corps should aggressively exploit the considerable warfighting benefits offered by autonomous vehicles (AVs)
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From page 134... ...
Specifically: Pursue New Unmanned Surface Vehicle/Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Concepts and Technology Developments. The Chief of Naval Operations should establish a high-level working group to refine the requirements and concepts of operations for unmanned surface vehicles and other autonomous vehicles as an integral part of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)
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