US NAVY Asks Industry to Create Unmanned Submarine.....

[MMC]

http://auvac.org/community-information/community-news/view/1161

http://auvac.org/uploads/tiny_mce_uploads/Manta%20420.jpg

ARLINGTON, Va., 3 Aug. 2011. The U.S. Navy is asking industry to develop a large unmanned submarine able to operate in the open ocean and in coastal waters and harbors on missions lasting more than 70 days to gather intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) information. The U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) released a broad agency announcement (ONRBAA11-025) last week for the Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Innovative Naval Prototype Technology (LDUUV INP) program to develop UUV autonomy and long-endurance propulsion systems for large unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). Full proposals are due no later than 12 Sept. 2011.

The LDUUV is to be a pier-launched and recovered large unmanned submersible able to operate in the open ocean and conduct over-the-horizon sensor missions in coastal waters and harbors. The two primary technology areas that Navy researchers want to develop and demonstrate involve machine autonomy and endurance.
Autonomy involves autonomy software, computer hardware, and sensors. Endurance, meanwhile, pertains to UUV propulsion technology that can operate independently for tens of hours to months. Each effort to develop autonomy technologies and endurance technologies will have two phases.....snip~

The Navy wants it to be able to spend time out and under operations. Thoughts?

[Pendragon]

More money wasted on the military industrial complex. How about putting some money into our future? Our health care and education systems could use some help if you all haven't noticed.

[MMC]

http://www.uasvision.com/2011/08/04/us-navy-simulated-unmanned-landing-tests-employ-ucas-d-technology/

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A U.S. Navy F/A-18D surrogate aircraft emulated an autonomous, unmanned aircraft as it performed several approaches to arrested landings on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) on 2 July. The carrier landing test included the use of new Precision GPS and Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT), which is being developed for the Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) Programme. The Precision GPS and TTNT, intended to provide guidance and control, is being developed by an industry team working with the Navy. The full test spanned 10 days of flights, between June 27 and July 6, and employed the F/A-18 and a King Air surrogate aircraft. During that time, the test logged more than 42 flight hours in the F/A-18 and King Air surrogates, as well as 64 successful approaches using two different approach profiles with the UCAS-D system.

Eighteen professionals from ARINC Inc. in Annapolis, Md., are working on the UCAS-D aviation/ship integration effort, serving as team leads, engineers, configuration managers, risk managers, and subject matter experts. Their role is to help ensure Navy requirements are properly developed, documented, understood, and implemented. “It was truly great to see the UCAS-D approaches and landings. They came in straight, as if they were on rails, with minimal if any perceived deviations from their glideslope or course,” says ARINC Staff Principal Engineer Marty Paulaitis, who worked the LSO platform. “The other LSOs who were watching just turned to me and said ‘Wow!’”.....snip~