The US Navy has a bit of a sub trouble . While the American fleet has contracted over the past two decades , numerous Nation that are n’t exactly our BFFs have expand , with newfangled , radical - still Rudolf Diesel - electric subs . This proliferation has grown into a home security threat , but DARPA may soon have a solution — machinelike submarine trackers .
certain , nuclear hero can stay underwater for months without refueling , but diesel engine - galvanising engines are no WWII token , either . Especially not when they ’re raise with air - independent propulsion — technology that tolerate DE engines to operate without the need for a snorkel collecting atmospherical oxygen . What ’s more , they ’re about undetectable when bunk on battery power alone . So how does the US forestall a duple whammy of fewer sailors search for more and better equipped enemies ? By getting ACTUV .
The Anti - Submarine Warfare ( ASW ) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel ( ACTUV ) is a trimaran platform designed to operate entirely autonomously for the duration of its operating cycle with zero human intervention . And without stimulate to accommodate mass , and all their housing and sustenance needs , the ACTUV can be work up visible radiation and fast enough to outpace the diesel - electric submarine it chases . It does n’t rule the subs itself mind you , just tails them . “ It relies on our hunters to hunt and find the submarine , but free them from being tied down in asset - intensive continuous trail , ” said DARPA program handler Rob McHenry . In all , the ACTUV will be able to journey up to 3000 kilometre from its base , lurk around an area of sea for up to a calendar month , then pick up and tail a hostile torpedo over another 30 day reach .
In ordering to do all this , the ACTUV will employ a combination of commercial off - the - shelf components supporting a entourage of high-pitched fidelity sensing element . The craftsmanship ’s C&C system will utilize advance collision shunning and navigation restraints to voyage the high-pitched sea without infract the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea ( COLREGS ) and marine law . The vessel ’s sonar is being built by Applied Physics Laboratory while Spatial Integrated Systems is arise the pilotage algorithmic rule .
“ fundamental features and engineering for the watercraft include in advance package , rich autonomy for good operations in accord with maritime laws , and innovative sensors to unendingly track the quietest of submarine sandwich targets , ” Scott Littlefield , DARPA programme manager , say in a press command .
“ Our end is to transition an operational game - auto-changer to the Navy , ” he continued . “ This should produce an asymmetry to our advantage , negating a challenging submarine scourge at one - tenth their price of construction sub . The platform also establishes foundational engineering for future unmanned naval systems . ”
The ACTUV platform has just completed Phase 1 with a successful proof of concept . phase 2 – 4 — to design , build , and essay the watercraft — should be completed by mid-2015 . If successful , this platform could be a blessing for the Navy , freeing up precious force play for other duty without letting hostile military unit slip through their finger . [ Gizmag – DARPA – SpaceWar – Aviation Week – simulacrum : DARPA ]
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