Wave Effect on Underwater Bomb Trajectory with Application to Mine Clearance

Abstract

Question has been raised about the possible impact sea state which may have on the performance of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Assault Breaching System (JABS) in the very shallow water (VSW) regime (depth up to 40 ft). We investigated the wave effect on underwater bomb trajectory. We will present: (1) development of a new version of the NPS 6 DOF model with the capability to predict the bomb maneuvering in the water column due to sloping surface, (2) analysis on the underwater bomb trajectory and orientation due to wave propagation, (3) determination of the wave effect on the bomb trajectory, and (4) calculation of the probability distribution function of the bomb position due to various sea-state. For VSW regions, the bottom topography affects the waves dramatically and causes a significant change in surface slope, which changes the bomb impact angle, and then the bomb trajectory. Such effect is still important when application of JABS is to shallow water (SW) and deep water (DW).