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An Assessment of Undersea Weapons Science and Technology (2000) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Pages 1-5

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From page 1...
... Chapter 2 presents the committee's assessment of the ONR undersea weapons S&T program and the uniqueness of the program's responsibility vis-a-vis the Navy. Since the ONR undersea weapons S&T program is predominantly torpedo-related, the assessment follows the torpedo program categories: warheads, propulsion, guidance and control, torpedo stealth, torpedo defense, countermeasures, supercavitating weapons, and weapons design optimization.
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From page 2...
... Basic and applied research that could lead to revolutionary weapons efforts is being neglected. In answer to the first key question in the terms of reference, which asked what technologies are needed but are not being developed by the ONR undersea weapons S&T program, the committee offers the following judgments: · The current approach to effectively confronting submarines in the littoral environment is not founded on a complete analysis and a good understanding of the physics of the problem, and it needs attention at the most basic level.
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From page 3...
... Undersea weapons involve special technologies, adaptations of other technologies, and unique integration of all these technologies for which there is in the United States little non-Navysponsored research and development. The committee found some good examples of ongoing healthy and productive S&T, including the following: · The program on propulsion at the Applied Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University (ARL/PSU)
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From page 4...
... With regard to the individual ONR undersea weapons program areas, the committee found the following: · It is not obvious that the programs on guidance and control at ARL/PSU and NUWC are succeeding at coping with progressively quieter targets and evolving countermeasures. The careful operations and systems analysis needed to critically assess operational performance in matters of target detection, identification, and homing seems to be missing.
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From page 5...
... ONR should take a broader and longer-range view of undersea weapons systems, specifically those not limited to torpedoes and beyond the 5-year horizon. Some such concepts are being explored in other ONR undersea technology activities and in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and should be considered.
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Key Terms

  • onr undersea
  • committee offers
  • involve special
  • special technologies
  • weapons science

  • unique integration
  • future naval
  • weapons research
  • challenging undersea
  • undersea environment

  • key question
  • weapons concepts
  • construed broadly
  • design optimization
  • weapons design

  • weapons construed
  • weapons involve
  • warfare center
  • naval capabilities
  • definition studies

  • navy undersea
  • designating undersea
  • increase undersea
  • surface warfare
  • funding sufficiently

  • marine corps
  • enabling characteristics
  • issues surrounding
  • industrial participation
  • strongly affected


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