»Boeing Achieves First Submerged Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Recovery by a Submarine
~ for the first time an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) was recovered by an underway submerged submarine
~ a U.S. Navy attack submarine launched the AN/BLQ-11 UUV from one of its torpedo tubes
~ UUV returned to the vessel, where the system's robotic arm retrieved it into the submarine
~ earlier assessments proved that the UUV could successfully home and dock with the system's robotic arm while the submarine was underway.
~ AN/BLQ-11 performed several complex vehicle maneuvers during the tests, including station keeping and
~ so-called "shadow submarine" during which the system operates underwater alongside the host submarine
~ vehicle and system performance support the Navy's decision to pursue 21-inch diameter submarine-deployed UUVs
~ the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Undersea Vehicle program office selected Boeing to work called the AN/BLQ-11 system
~ the AN/BLQ-11 is designed to launch from the host submarine's torpedo tube to survey, detect and gather data
~ on underwater threats such as mines that could pose significant risk to sailors
~ after completing its mission, the vehicle homes and docks with a robotic arm
~ that extends from another of the host submarine's torpedo tubes for recovery back through the launch tube
~ the system allows operators to retrieve data from the vehicle and prepare it for re-launch.

»UUV Master Plan

UUV Advantages to Navy:

Autonomy
~ the ability to operate independently for extended periods creates a force multiplier
~ that allows manned systems to extend their reach and focus on more complex tasks
~ costs may be reduced when sensors or weapons are operated from the smaller infrastructure of a UUV rather than entirely from manned platforms

Risk Reduction
~ their unmanned nature lessens or eliminates risk to personnel from the environment, the enemy, and the unforgiving sea

Low Profile
~ UUVs operate fully submerged with potentially low acoustic and electromagnetic signatures
~ they maintain a low profile when surfaced to extend antennae
~ the possible intent for follow-on manned operations in a route or area is not revealed and the element of surprise is preserved
~ UUVs have less risk of entanglement with underwater or floating obstructions than towed or hard-tethered systems (remotely operated vehicles (ROVs))

Deployability
~ by virtue of their potentially smaller size, UUVs can provide a capability organic to the strike group
~ they can also be designed as “flyaway” packages or be prepositioned in forward areas
~ their launch can be adapted to a variety of platforms including ships, submarines, aircraft, and shore facilities
~ the UUV recovery craft need not be the same as the launch craft
~ recovery may be delayed or dismissed entirely for low-cost expendable systems
~ multiple UUVs can be deployed simultaneously from one platform

Environmental Adaptability
~ UUVs can operate in all water depths, in foul weather and seas, under tropical or arctic conditions, and around the clock
~ their ability to operate in the medium gives them unique sensor advantages over similar towed or surface operated sensors

Persistence
~ UUVs can remain on station in the face of weather that would abort the operations of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or USV
~ simply by submerging to a calmer depth
~ violent weather may preclude near-surface operations, but UUVs can wait out the storm at depth,
~ precluding a lengthy transit when conditions improve
~ UUVs that lose power (accidentally or intentionally in a “loiter” mode) can settle stably onto the bottom,
~ unlike UAVs and USVs that are at the mercy of the elements as soon as they lose propulsion

UUVs should be used in applications where they increase performance, lower cost, enable missions
that cannot be performed by manned systems, or reduce the risk to manned systems.
The characteristics of UUVs that may facilitate meeting these principles include their ability to put sensors
in an optimal position in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions, autonomy, endurance, low-observability,
expendability, and standoff or reach from the launch platform.

The long-term UUV vision is to have the capability to:
(1) deploy or retrieve devices
(2) gather, transmit, or act on all types of information
(3) engage bottom, volume, surface, air or land targets

The nine missions (or UUV “Sub-Pillars”), in priority order, are:
• Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
• Mine Countermeasures (MCM)
• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
• Inspection / Identification
• Oceanography
• Communication / Navigation Network Nodes (CN3)
• Payload Delivery
• Information Operations (IO)
• Time Critical Strike (TCS)

The document also makes the following recommendations:
• Continued development of UUV Standards and Modularity
• Investment in the critical technologies of autonomy, energy and propulsion,
sensors and sensor processing, communications/navigation, and engagement/intervention
• Increased experimentation with UUV technologies, and
• Introduction of UUV systems into the fleet, as soon as possible.

FORCEnet
~ Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR):
~ Oceanography
~ Communication / Navigation Network Nodes (CN3)

SEA BASE

Time Critical Strike (TCS)
~ this is in the Kinetic Effects portion of the Sea Strike pillar of Sea Power 21
~ provides the capability to deliver ordnance to a target with sensor-to-shooter closure measured in seconds, rather than minutes or hours
~ these operations can use virtually any platform, vehicle, or weapon within the battlespace
~ launching a weapon from a UUV, or a UUV delivered weapon cache,
~ allows a launch point closer to the target resulting in quicker response time for prosecution
~ it also moves the “flaming datum” away from high value platforms so that their positions are not exposed

Investment in following critical technologies is recommended:
• Autonomy
• Energy and Propulsion
• Sensors and Sensor Processing
• Communications / Networking
• Engagement / Intervention

Sea Power 21 Impact

Decisiveness:
~ to bring decisive effects both lethal and non-lethal to bear where it counts
Sustainability:
~ capabibility to arrive quickly and remaining on scene for extended periods of time
Responsiveness:
~ naval forces operate around the world, around the clock, continuing to operate from the sea, free from basing or permission constraints
Agility:
~ more flexible and responsive Force
Sea Strike
~ leverages enhanced Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR)
~ precision, stealth, and endurance to increase operational tempo, reach, and effectiveness
Sea Shield
~ develops naval capabilities related to homeland defense, sea control, assured access, and projecting defense overland
~ reassures allies, strengthens deterrence, and protects the joint force
Sea Base
~ projects the sovereignty of the United States globally while providing Joint Force Commanders
~ with vital command and control, fire support, and logistics from the sea, thereby minimizing vulnerable assets ashore
FORCEnet
~ the operational construct and architectural framework for naval warfare in the Information age,
~ which integrates warriors, sensors, networks, command and control, platforms and weapons into a networked, distributed combat force.

Heavy Weight Vehicle (HWV) Class
~ nominally 21 inches in diameter
~ includes UUVs that are submarine torpedo tube compatible
~ are typically cylindrical shaped
~ this class of vehicles supports Sub-Pillar capabilities in the following areas:
• Tactical ISR
• Oceanography
• MCM Clandestine Reconnaissance
• Submarine Decoy

Develop Standards and Implement Modularity
~ the programmatic recommendation to continue to develop standards for UUVs will ease interchangeability of modules
~ by developing and following up-to-date standard interfaces, the need for custom interfaces is mitigated or eliminated
~ use of Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) equipment will drive acceptance of current commercial practice and standards
~ use of Navy and DoD standards such as FORCEnet based architectures will ensure UUV interoperability with other systems
~ standardization will also facilitate the implementation of UUV modularity
~ many core UUV functional components may be shared within and across vehicle classes, including:
~ payloads, navigation, energy, communications, some sensors, and launch and recovery systems
~ the ability to adapt hardware and software from one vehicle class to another will cut cost and time to employment
~ vehicle configurations should be designed to ease configuration changes, such as adding new payloads
~ this is especially true for the larger two classes of UUVs, as custom interfaces will be prohibitively expensive
~ maximization of sharing within a class (or even to other classes) not only provides a benefit during acquisition,
~ but also during the life cycles of systems

»Office of Naval Research