The use of unmanned vehicles on land, sea and in the air is
on the increase with defence forces around the world and although aerial
vehicles tend to capture the spotlight, unmanned platforms are displaying huge
potential in the other two domains.
From a naval perspective, the US Navy produced an Unmanned
Underwater Vehicle Master Plan back in 2004 to provide guidance for its various
requirements and projects. Here in Australia, both the RAN and DSTO have
carried out trials with unmanned systems which are informing projects within
the current Defence Capability Plan and beyond.
Alternatively referred to as unmanned, or autonomous,
underwater vehicles, the capabilities promised will change the way navies will
conduct both future surface and undersea warfare.
Auv/Uuv background
At the present time the operational roles arguably the most
applicable to unmanned technology are those of Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance (ISR), Mine Countermeasures (MCM) and Anti-Submarine Warfare
(ASW). Other roles include Hydrographic and Oceanographic survey; Chemical,
Biological, Nuclear, Radiological and Explosive (CBNRE) detection and
localisation and specialised mapping.
Navy and DSTO have been evaluating unmanned applications for
some years and began experiments with the technology in the littoral
environment back in late 2005, during Exercise Dugong held in Port Phillip Bay.
A UUV was borrowed from the US Navy Office of Naval Research the following year
and vehicles from several manufacturers have been trialled over subsequent
years. Today, research and testing continues with a mixed fleet of assets.
The focus of unmanned applications for Navy is currently for
MCM operations, where the vehicle can search the seabed and water columns for
mine-like objects before (depending upon the sensor suite) classifying the
detected objects as a threat or non-threat.
The obvious benefit of using unmanned vehicles to carry out
this work is that it allows the host vessel to remain clear of the suspected
minefield while the detection and classification activities are being carried
out and may potentially remove the need for either the vessel or clearance
divers to be in the proximity during the prosecution phase.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle trials are currently carried
out by an element of Navy’s Mine Warfare Deployable Systems Team (MGDST),
working closely with DSTO. The UUVs owned by DSTO for trials purposes are
routinely deployed on exercises with the MGDST.
Systems currently in use by DSTO to conduct this work
include the Hydroid Remus 100 and 600 AUVs, capable of operating at depths of
100 and 600 metres respectively, with endurance between eight hours (Remus 100)
and up to 70 hours, dependent upon speed and sensor configuration; The
buoyancy-driven Teledyne G2 Slocum Glider, Teledyne Gavia; and the Seabotix
LBV150-4 MiniROV system.
In 1996, DSTO conceived the indigenous Wayamba (Sea Turtle)
as a test-vehicle for unmanned mine hunting development and this is still in
regular use today.
Dsto development work
“DSTO research is focused on various aspects of all manner
of unmanned maritime systems and thus studies of UUV are only a part of this
work, but an important part. Depending upon operational requirements UUV systems
vary widely in size, shape, payload and sensor fit out,” explained a Defence
spokesperson to ADM. “UUV missions of interest to DSTO in support of ADF
operations include but are not limited to underwater ISR, rapid environmental
assessment (REA), ASW and MCM. To fulfil the MCM requirement a number of UUV
systems have been fielded overseas with various levels of autonomy. In general
these systems tend to operate to a substantially pre-determined mine search
script rather than demonstrate full autonomy. However, the evidence is that
they do tend to offer greater efficiency as well as reduce risk to personnel.”
Navies across the globe have contributed to the
proliferation of UUVs to support a range of operational requirements and,
according to Defence, their application to warfare is seen as a disruptive
technology by virtue of the game changing options they have introduced.
An example of this is the US Navy Littoral Combat Ship
(LCS), which embraces the ‘modular’ concept, whereby unmanned systems are
employed as an extension of the platform, rather than being an integral part of
the vessel. This concept is also being considered for the Navy’s Offshore
Combatant Vessel proposed under Project Sea 1180.
Acknowledging however that for many applications, the deployment
of a UUV to operate at some distance from the host vessel is at a ‘low
technological readiness level’ at the present time, Defence says that the DSTO
research program is concentrated on performance enhancement in these areas.
“DSTO recognises that commercial off the shelf UUV systems
should not dictate or limit RAN doctrine and capability. Further, DSTO believes
that understanding the littoral environment is at least as important as
understanding vehicle and sensor technologies,” the spokesperson said. “Thus,
research is directed towards making systems more operator friendly,
particularly within the RAN area of regional engagement.”
To this end, work is currently being conducted to maximise
payload autonomy and the deployment and placement of unattended sensor systems.
In addition, the organisation is studying advanced sensor processing, mission
management and planning, inter-vehicle communication and co-operation, Launch
and Recovery Systems (LARS), integration requirements and the development of simulation
to provide enhanced modelling capabilities.
“The whole multi-role concept required to make the future
OCV a reality relies on the premise that a substantial range of specialist
functions can be fulfilled by offboard, unmanned systems of which UUV are an
important part,” detailed the spokesperson. “Research to advance unmanned
system technologies is not only needed to develop the OCV operational paradigm
but to enable unmanned systems to operate as an integrated part of the fleet.
Thus, the development of unmanned autonomous systems, and therefore UUVs, is
seen as a priority area for DSTO research.”
The future of Uav/Uuv systems
With regard to the current DCP, Sea 1778 Phase 1 (Deployable
MCM – Organic Mine Counter Measures), together with JP 1770 Phase 1 (Rapid
Environmental Assessment) are examining a range of UUVs, from the portable
(50-70kg) to the medium-size (200-300kg) as well as a range of sensors to
produce Rapid Environmental Assessment products for what Defence describes as
‘a range of customers.’
Some examples of sensors under investigation include Side
Scan Sonar (SSS), Synthetic Aperture Sonar’s (SAS), and Multi Beam Echo
Sounders (MBES).
The Sea 1778 Project Office will release an RFT in the
second half of 2013, and Defence says the responses are expected to include one
or more UUV types to fulfil the described search and classification functions.
Navy is also looking to expand the role of the UUV within the maritime
battlespace to collect geospatial information, including the aforementioned
hydrographic, oceanographic and meteorological data.
“As UUV and sensor technology evolves, there are potential
future applications that would capitalise on autonomous behaviours. In other
words, UUVs changing their behaviour or cueing other assets in response to
their environment or to detected objects,” concluded the Defence spokesperson.
“Future developments in underwater communication technology might enable
enhanced real-time data transfer from the UUV to the command post, to
facilitate command-initiated re-programming mid-mission.”
Beyond the UUV technology foreshadowed by the DCP are armed
Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR)
platforms, such as Rafael’s armed Protector ISV, which can be used for a range
of applications, including maritime security, force protection and naval
dominance. Though no requirement exists, UUV applications such as these are
being carefully monitored and future versions of the DCP may well see an
expanded requirement for such capabilities.