Navy funds autonomous submarine for coastal surveillance

The Navy is funding the development of an autonomous submarine that gathers military intelligence information in coastal waters and harbors by deploying and operating small unmanned underwater vehicles, reports John Keller at Military & Aerospace Electronics.

The Office of Naval Research awarded Science Applications International Corp. a $2.5 million contract in November to construct a prototype UUV mothership that could send out smaller UUVs.

The contract is part of an ongoing Navy program called Autonomous UUV Delivery and Communication.

Small UUVs are currently deployed in hostile waters by manned vessels. Navy officials believe that an autonomous underwater vessel could perform the same role.

Under the agreement, SAIC will demonstrate how a UUV mothership might carry, deploy and recover smaller UUVs. The mothership also would collect the sensor data from the drones.

In the past 24 months there has been significant activity in the UUV market. BAE Systems recently unveiled the Talisman L, a UUV tailored for coastal waters, reported Darren Lake for Shepherd Group.

Companies also are boosting their UUV capabilities through acquisitions. For example, iRobot acquired Nekton Research, a provider of underwater systems and technologies in 2008, Defense Systems reported.