EIVA’s C-ROTV provides rapidly deployable multi-mission capability with a flexible sensor payload.

 

By Chris Haugen
Business Development Manager, North America
Forcys

The story of uncrewed and autonomous maritime systems in 2024 is one of contrasts. The need for advanced autonomy that can reliably conduct independent missions in remote locations is balanced with the need to rapidly develop and deploy focused capability that is attritable or expendable at scale with speed and affordability. Progress in 2024 with uncrewed undersea vehicles (UUVs) responded to the tension between these two needs, in light of the U.S. objective to prepare for a major conflict with China by 2027, which requires both capability and capacity growth.

Forcys, working with our technology partners Sonardyne, Wavefront Systems, Voyis, EIVA and Chelsea Technologies, is privileged to be at the forefront of developing and delivering such undersea capability.

Super-Size It

Two highly capable, long-endurance, and long-range vehicles were delivered and entered service in 2024: the Ghost Shark, built in Australia by Anduril, and the Orca, developed by Boeing and Huntington Ingalls Industries in the U.S. Both these extra-large uncrewed undersea vehicles (XLUUVs) can carry a variety of payloads, such as undersea mines, persistent sensors or even smaller UUVs, into contested areas without the liability of risk to crewed systems. Ghost Shark will comprise a class of three vehicles; Orca is under test and evaluation and could be a class of up to four. In addition, Northrop Grumman’s Manta Ray is being developed through a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program to support a wide variety of mission sets.

Among the challenges faced by these, and smaller UUVs, is precise navigation in GNSS-denied environments. Integrated INS and DVLs, such as Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav X, offer very precise position tracking over long distances and time, as long the UUV is within DVL range of the seafloor.

However, XLUUVs will conduct open-ocean transits without the benefit of DVL bottom lock. New means of position tracking will emerge in the near term to address this critical need.

Expendable and Attritable

Pulling on the other end of the spectrum is the need for quantity of force. The maritime conflict with China over Taiwan, for which the U.S. and allies are openly preparing, will see the replacement of crewed platforms with large numbers of UUVs, along with seafloor networks of sensors and communications systems.

The proliferation of small startup companies making inexpensive and small UUVs is the direct result of the success Ukraine demonstrated by quickly fielding low-cost and highly effective UUVs and uncrewed surface drones. The asymmetric nature of these vehicles, especially as swarming tactics and other capabilities are added, is daunting, particularly if these systems begin fielding across domains.

Swarming tactics will require robust yet inexpensive communications systems between elements of the swarm. Optical communication systems, such as Sonardyne’s BlueComm with its large bandwidth and high data rates, will facilitate emergence—the phenomena exhibited by schooling fish moving in unison—needed to overwhelm adversary defenses.

Rapidly Deployable Systems

Another area that saw continued growth and advancement in 2024 was developing means of delivering capability to areas of need within hours.

One such system was designed by EIVA: the Containerized Remotely Operated Towed Vehicle system, or C-ROTV. This system is fully self-contained and can be readily deployed and in operation within hours. The host vessel of opportunity needs only deck space and power. C-ROTV provides an EIVA ScanFish or ViperFish kitted out with a mission-specific sensor package, integrated launch and recovery system, cable reel and winch, and a two-person operator station—all in a DNV-classed 20-ft. ISO container.

Undersea Intruder Detection and Neutralization

Persistent resident sensor systems, critical national assets along coastlines, shipping ports and naval harbors, and expeditionary forces conducting amphibious operations are all are at risk from UUV attack or surveillance. Interest is high for systems that can help defend these vulnerable assets.

Detection systems, such as Wavefront Systems’ Sentinel 2 simultaneous active and passive sonar, are purpose built for this mission. Look for continued development of these systems to extend their capabilities to operate in deeper depths and incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and automated target recognition (ATR), as well as the ability to direct kinetic effects to complete the kill chain where necessary.

Autonomy and AI

Withdrawing warriors from the highest risk areas, particularly in the first phases of the next conflict, will require replacement by masses of UUVs and seafloor networks to provide the intelligence preparation of the operational environment, common operational picture development, and delivery of kinetic effects that will thwart adversary ambitions.

Autonomy required for these missions requires either strict rules for platform behavior, which precludes adaptation to a dynamic environment, or AI-powered systems capable of sensing and understanding how to adapt to accomplish the assigned mission. However, AI algorithms are data- and power-hungry and can stress mission endurance of UUVs. Finding the triple balance point of sensor resolution, data stream width and necessary computing power is key to success. Where “every joule matters,” sensors such as a multiple-aperture sonar (MAS) support that triple balance point.

AI-powered systems will ultimately be used to deliver kinetic effects with no human in the loop. This requires unequivocal identification of targets, which depends on high-resolution systems. Voyis, another Forcys technology partner, has high-resolution, true-color imaging systems that provide precise mensuration and characterization.

Coupled with EIVA’s software for real-time video simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) 3D model development, high-confidence AI targeting and delivery solutions are possible.

The Year Ahead

The U.S. Defense Innovation Unit—DIU—will extend its Replicator initiative aimed at fielding thousands of autonomous systems in the next few years. The large-diameter UUV contracts have been let, and capable systems will be tuned through selection of sensor suites and payloads. This is a high-end mix with expensive but nominally attritable systems. Expect DIU, and naval acquisition and engineering organizations in the U.S. and in other nations, to increasingly focus on driving the cost of UUVs down to achieve the quantified capacity to carry out missions requiring more units with advanced capabilities.

Technology advances are needed in communications—between vehicles for swarming tactics and between vehicles and operators so that critical data can be harvested in real time. Long-range, secure, covert acoustic and optical systems are required and will necessitate advances in technology. Gateway systems connecting the undersea realm with remote operations centers are needed to breach the subsurface-sky-space interface.

As we close in on the target year of preparedness for a major conflict, the autonomous undersea realm will grow in importance.

Learn more here.