Integration and Optimization of UUV/USV Operations in Environmental Characterization

Abstract

This research is an initial investigation into the potential application of an integrated system consisting of unmanned surface vessel (USV) and unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) components in support of wide-area environmental sensing and characterization. The project was suggested as a topic of interest by CNO N2/N6 which has been contemplating the development of a USV program under the Navyﾒs Littoral Battlespace Sensing Program of Record. A comprehensive theoretical, modeling and observational approach was used to weigh strengths and limitations of an integrated system that leverages use of available unmanned system technology to develop an effective integrated system for characterizing both the oceanographic and acoustic environments supporting undersea warfare (USW) and battlespace awareness (BA) missions. The study was largely conducted as the basis for thesis research conducted by LT Bradley Nott, a USW curriculum student who recently graduated with his MS Physical Oceanography degree in September 2015 (http://hdl.handle.net/10945/47308).