Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, says they could get closer to the target faster by counting unmanned vessels with capabilities similar to a manned ship.
Richardson brought senior officers to Newport, Rhode Island, this month to talk about accelerating their development. The future Navy is going to be very different from today’s fleet, he said. Richardson said he’s trying to figure out how to increase naval power as quickly as he can because the Navy is being challenged at sea by very capable foreign naval forces.
He said he’s looking at vehicles that can do a range of things, including acting as sensors and carrying weapons, and can be networked in with the rest of the fleet. Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs) currently used by the Navy aren’t at the point now where they could replace manned platforms. While they can complete a task to support a mission, they can’t complete an entire mission on their own, and none are weaponized, according to the Navy.
The U.S. Navy has been evaluating alternative power generation solutions from General Atomics, General Motors, Lynntech and NexTech Materials, to power its next generation of combat UUVs.
More concretely, the Navy has been evaluating hydrogen fuel cell technologies to convert high-energy hydrogen into electricity that, when applied to a UUV, will result in a vehicle with greater range and endurance than those powered with batteries.
Also, hydrogen fuel cell propulsion technology helps address the two major environmental challenges (petroleum use and carbon dioxide emissions) as fuel cell vehicles can operate on renewable hydrogen from sources like wind and biomass stored for later use. Once converted to electricity, water vapor is the only emission. Recharging takes only minutes.
Finally, the US Navy has selected the General Motor’s (GM) hydrogen fuel cell technology to power its latest UUV under the ONR’s Innovative Naval Prototype program for Large Displacement UUVs (LDUUV), conceived for UUVs with more than 60 days endurance. Mainly, the GM option has been based in the cost of the cells, as a lower cost can be achievable through volume production supporting automotive applications.
Last but not least, GM’s fuel cells are compact and lightweight and have high reliability and performance. These attributes match the goals of the Navy to develop reliable, affordable systems. “The collaboration with the Navy leveraged what we learned in amassing more than 3 million miles of real-world experience with our Project Driveway fuel cell program,” said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM Global Fuel Cell Activities. “Our customers will benefit from additional lessons we learn about the performance of fuel cells in non-automotive applications that will be useful in GM’s drive to offer fuel cells across consumer markets.”
“Fuel cells can be game changers for autonomous underwater systems,” said Frank Herr, ONR’s department head for Ocean Battlespace Sensing. “Reliability, high energy, and cost-effectiveness — all brought to us via GM’s partnering — are particularly important as Navy looks to use UUVs as force multipliers.”The Naval Research Laboratory recently concluded an evaluation of a prototype UUV equipped with a GM fuel cell, in pools at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Carderock, Md. The next step could be to test the LDUUV in the open sea this year, in order to field a first squadron of the robotic submarines by 2020.
Unmanned aircrafts get all the attention nowadays, but it is beneath the waves where robots are making a splash: From detecting and clearing underwater mines to reconnaissance and mapping the ocean floors, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are becoming increasingly prominent.
Like their robotic counterparts in the air, on land and on the ocean surface, underwater craft are great for dull, dirty and dangerous tasks. They can search for and clear mines while their operators remain safely at a distance, map the ocean floor for monotonous mile after mile, or conduct surveillance of ships and harbors.
A 2009 RAND Corp. study lays out a litany of possible UUV uses, including quick strikes from underwater craft quietly positioned close to their targets, anti-submarine warfare and cyber warfare by accessing underwater communications links. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has several UUV projects underway, according to spokesman Matt Leonard. These include: (Continue Reading)
UUVs are already in the hands of adversaries of the United States. There is evidence that the development of multi-UUVs swarm strike doctrines is underway, and US Army specialists believe it is only a matter of time before someone initiates such an attack against a US objective.
A future increase in submarine construction and operations by both China and Russia are not the only development of concern in the undersea domain: As autonomous technology becomes more mature, UUVs will also operate independently in areas of potential crisis or strategic importance. Officers and enlisted personnel must have the necessary training to operate the improved platforms and sensors given the potential rise in foreign submarine operations as well as unknown UUV technological advancements.
Internationally, the development and use of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) for education and commercial use are expanding, but in the military realm, developed countries are exploring UUV deployment from submarines that will create a new dynamic in the undersea domain. These new platforms and technologies have established a new era of ASW operations from the days of the Cold War, and to meet expanded foreign submarine operations and UUV technological advancements, the U.S. surface naval force is employing state of the art Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) technology aboard numerous Arleigh Burke class destroyers: The SQQ-89A(V)15 Combat System, which will be aboard 64 destroyers by 2020, and the new Multi-Functional Towed Array (MFTA) are game changers in ASW operations.
As a Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV), LTV 38 is able to perform at a maximum depth of 1,000 meters for up to 72 hours.
It is designed as a full-pressure hull vehicle, capable of both line of sight and over the horizon communications, and can also conduct limited autonomous contact avoidance maneuvers via acoustic sensors while anchored and such missions are conducted and controlled remotely.
LTV 38 was originally developed for the Sea Stalker program. The vehicle is 27 feet in length and 38 inches in diameter, and was originally assembled in 2008 by Penn State University's UUV land-based test facility at State College, Pennsylvania.
It underwent its first series of operational tests shortly after its assembly and made its first operational deployment on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96). Once a few final operational preparations are completed over the next few weeks, it will be ready to hit the water for both capabilities tests and proficiency training.
"This is certainly a key milestone for Detachment UUV in that we will have a baseline training vehicle for the future of Large Displacement UUVs," said Lt. Brian Nuss, officer in charge at Detachment UUV. "The future large-diameter vehicles will come in 2020 and in order for the detachment to fully prepare for the delivery of those vehicles we have to start with the tactics, training and procedures now to make it a successful program in the future. We couldn't have done this without the partnership from Keyport, Penn State and Commander, Submarine Force Pacific, supporting us both financially and realizing that there's a gap in training that needs to be filled for Det. UUV to succeed in the future," Added.
The use of unmanned vehicles in the undersea environment is projected to grow for the Navy. During a recent visit to the Pacific Northwest, Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, told Sailors he envisions having autonomous underwater vehicles on patrol by the end of the decade. UUVs allow naval submarines to safely gain access to denied areas with revolutionary sensors and weapons. These areas may be denied based on unacceptable risks to a submarine such as extremely shallow water, very poor acoustic conditions, or mined waters. UUVs provide unique capabilities and extend the "reach" of naval platforms while reducing the risk to the submarine and its crew.
Market is forecast to total US$4.84 Billion by 2019, growing at a high CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) from 2014 to 2019.
The UUV market will show a stringent growth for defense operations like anti-submarine warfare, including oil and gas applications like mine hunting, mine counter measures, oil rig constructions, and pipeline inspection activities.
The Asia-Pacific region specifically, the BRIC countries will prove to be the emerging markets for UUVs, with their activities focused in the scientific research, and oil and gas sectors.
ROV FORECAST:
The global ROV market is estimated to be $1.2 Billion in 2014 and expected register a CAGR of 20.11% in 2019.
The ROV market future can be dominated by the AUV in the coming decades.
Regarding manufacturers, SAAB (Sweden), Fugro (The Netherlands), Oceaneering (U.S.), will be the market leaders that occupy a significant market share for ROV.
Offshore drilling will remain the prime sector for ROV. The technological trends will be adressed to increase the number of payloads.
AUV FORECAST:
The global AUV market is estimated to be $457 Million in 2014 and expected register a CAGR of 31.95% in 2019.
The improved AUV capabilities and the autonomy feature will involve the AUV for operations that restrict the use of ROV due to entanglement.
The endurance and miniaturization of AUV will strive to be the prime driver for undersea operations.
The introduction of the AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) systems and solar cells technology will change the future of the AUV.
Kongsberg (Norway), Teledyne (U.S.), Bluefin Robotics (U.S.), and Atlas Elektronik (Germany), will be the leaders in the AUV market.
Defense and oceanographic studies will remain a major sector for AUV. The technological trends will be focused to the miniaturization. Another Keypoints to bear in mind:
With the evolution of technology, better endurance, miniaturization, and enhanced payloads, ROV and AUV will be efficiently used for undersea activities.
The commercialization of ROV and AUV and its increased capabilities will revolutionize their growth over the years.
The reduction in the price of ROV and AUV will be a major concern for manufacturers.
The ROV and AUV markets will be driven by the increasing need of ROV and AUV in areas such as:
