The US Navy executes a diverse range of UUV operations across the globe. While UUVs have become common place for ISR, MCM, and bathymetric sensing, theyre often limited in payload delivery. These commonly cylindrical systems would benefit significantly from devices attached as needed by Navy personnel without significantly impacting UUV performance, detaching payloads on UUV commands without penetrating the hull, and providing reliable placement on the seafloor. Boston Engineering has developed a comprehensive program to model, test, and validate our payload detachment solution. Boston Engineering proposes to develop a unique UUV attachment for efficient and reliable payload integration and deployment, combining proven technologies into an innovative but highly versatile solution for external UUV payload deployment, independent of payload shape and the desired location on and size/capability of, a UUV. The team will leverage its CFD experience to execute iterations of CFD that analyze flow conditions when attached, during detachment, and during payload descent. This analysis, combined with tow tank testis leveraging existing equipment helps rapidly confirm CFD models and provide a first order understanding of the impacts to the UUV. Efforts in Phase I provide footing for more in-depth unsteady analysis and ultimately system testing in Phase II.
Benefit: Attaching and deploying payloads from a UUV (for navigation, communication, environmental monitoring, or surveillance) is becoming increasingly important. With the commoditization and proliferation of UUVs within the US Navy, mission modules are needed that do not require opening the vehicle nor consume too much internal volume via the common practice of
Keywords: C2, C2, Payload, detach, surveillance, Hydrodynamics, Soft, Modular, UUV
