The Navy's rising tide of UUVs

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 and ASW: A brief look

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.

  

UUV Market Forecast

  Gobally, the key figures are as follows:

• UUV FORECAST:
• 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: 

1. With the evolution of technology, better endurance, miniaturization, and enhanced payloads, ROV and AUV will be efficiently used for undersea activities.
2. The commercialization of ROV and AUV and its increased capabilities will revolutionize their growth over the years.                                             
3. The reduction in the price of ROV and AUV will be a major concern for manufacturers.
4. The ROV and AUV markets will be driven by the increasing need of ROV and AUV in areas such as:

• Offshore drilling
• Oceanographic studies
• Underwater inspection and maintenance
• Surveillance and security

US Navy: UUV Services Requirement

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport (NUWCDIVNPT) has a requirement for services to perform systems engineering, system development, technical analysis, installation, integration, testing and evaluation services in support of U.S. Navy, Government-owned Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) (Read more)

Iranian Navy to Build Unmanned Submarines

Iran plans to build unmanned submarines. "This issue is on our agenda like other issues and cases," Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told FNA when asked if the Iranian Navy has plans to build unmanned submarines and other types of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles. About the reasons he didn’t provide any further details on the project, but it is known the Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.

According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates. The Gulf of Aden - which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea - is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.