yasin_khan
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Size matters, at least when it comes to the dozens of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) now being used, tested, developed or considered by the U.S. Navy.
“By my last count, we had 70 different kinds of UUVs,†said Rear Adm. Bill Landay, program executive officer for littoral and mine warfare at the Naval Sea Systems Command. “And every one of them is a different size: different length, different width, a different configuration.â€
That’s a problem, because the Navy has only a few potential ways to launch an underwater vehicle, and most of those systems need an object of a specific diameter. To create standards that designers can work to, Landay’s unmanned vehicles office is updating the service’s UUV master plan to define the dimensions UUVs can be built to.
Landay, speaking Oct. 14 to reporters at the Washington Navy Yard, said there are essentially four kinds of UUVs under development:
• “A man-transportable one, something two guys can put in the water.†In this instance, exact dimensions aren’t critical, he said.
• “UUVs that are about 12.75 inches in diameter,†or the size of the Mark 32 torpedo tubes aboard most warships. Landay said that ships that practice firing 12.75-inch torpedoes also routinely retrieve exercise torpedoes, and already have a launch-and-recovery capability.
• “The 21-inch UUV, because that’s a relatively standard submarine-launched capability.†Most submarines are fitted with 21-inch torpedo tubes, enabling them to launch a UUV built to that diameter. One issue, Landay pointed out, is coming up with a way to recover the UUV. “If we can find a way to pull that thing back in the submarine, that gives us an enormous flexibility and covert capability,†he said.
• A “large-diameter†UUV that is “bigger than 36 inches.†Debate continues about just how big this UUV should be, Landay said. “It’s the classic trade of bigger is better for payload, but bigger is not always better for the mission.â€
Landay wants designers to stick to the standard measurements. “If you’re going to build one, try to build one in about this size,†he said. “I’ll have a lot more opportunity to go and take it and use it then if you build me a 15-inch UUV which neither a surface ship nor a submarin can use.â€
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=452662&C=america
“By my last count, we had 70 different kinds of UUVs,†said Rear Adm. Bill Landay, program executive officer for littoral and mine warfare at the Naval Sea Systems Command. “And every one of them is a different size: different length, different width, a different configuration.â€
That’s a problem, because the Navy has only a few potential ways to launch an underwater vehicle, and most of those systems need an object of a specific diameter. To create standards that designers can work to, Landay’s unmanned vehicles office is updating the service’s UUV master plan to define the dimensions UUVs can be built to.
Landay, speaking Oct. 14 to reporters at the Washington Navy Yard, said there are essentially four kinds of UUVs under development:
• “A man-transportable one, something two guys can put in the water.†In this instance, exact dimensions aren’t critical, he said.
• “UUVs that are about 12.75 inches in diameter,†or the size of the Mark 32 torpedo tubes aboard most warships. Landay said that ships that practice firing 12.75-inch torpedoes also routinely retrieve exercise torpedoes, and already have a launch-and-recovery capability.
• “The 21-inch UUV, because that’s a relatively standard submarine-launched capability.†Most submarines are fitted with 21-inch torpedo tubes, enabling them to launch a UUV built to that diameter. One issue, Landay pointed out, is coming up with a way to recover the UUV. “If we can find a way to pull that thing back in the submarine, that gives us an enormous flexibility and covert capability,†he said.
• A “large-diameter†UUV that is “bigger than 36 inches.†Debate continues about just how big this UUV should be, Landay said. “It’s the classic trade of bigger is better for payload, but bigger is not always better for the mission.â€
Landay wants designers to stick to the standard measurements. “If you’re going to build one, try to build one in about this size,†he said. “I’ll have a lot more opportunity to go and take it and use it then if you build me a 15-inch UUV which neither a surface ship nor a submarin can use.â€
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=452662&C=america
