Accomplishments at sea are among main issues that have been troubling researchers and navy personnel as far as the Second World War. The research that ensued in this area after the war has led to the development of the unmanned surface vessel also termed as autonomous surface vehicle. Abbreviations ASV and USV are often used. This is a relatively new technology and this writing discusses some basics about it.
Like the name suggests, autonomous surface vehicle is a type of vessel that is propagated in water with no onboard crew. This technology allows for tele-operation with crews ashore or on other vessels tele-operating the USVs. Some have operation platforms that can be converted within 24 hours so that the vehicle becomes human-operated. This significantly helps to keep danger away from human crews, hence saving lives. However, the technology does not necessarily optimize the use of personnel.
Work on the USV started immediately after the Second World War with many countries taking part. Israel in particular was a pioneer in this sector of warfare. They developed some of the first prototypes that were later developed into vessels. Israel had its first operational USV as early as 2005 and was closely followed by the United States. Today, almost all first-world countries have a couple of their own units used for various applications.
Before their adoption in the navy, USVs were mostly used for academic and research applications. Several universities and research facilities owned their own units, which they used to research life in the ocean and other water bodies. With these vessels, they could reach deeper into the sea and maintain a presence for several hours or days. This made research easier and more discoveries were made.
As USV technology started to be adopted by the navy, there was drastic change in the use and level of sophistication of the vehicles. Today, their uses in the navy include harbor security, vessel protection, mine sweeping, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, area access denial, search and rescue operations, and protection of critical infrastructure. More features are being included which has led to more uses.
Most models of USVs have the whole body submerged below the water with only a mast showing up. The mast serves to enable communication with base stations and to take in air. This design presents several advantages to the navy in particular because it allows for large payload volumes, excellent passive stability, and employment of internal combustion propulsion systems. The models used for offensive missions include systems for identifying, targeting, and firing on targets on land, sea, and air.
Initially, these vehicles were propelled by liquid fuels. Liquid fuels placed limits on how far they could go and how long they can remain in water without refilling. Thus, renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and wave energy started to be researched. To that end, many countries have produced models that rely on solar and wind for energy.
So far, most USVs range in size from small to medium. Most of them are similar in size to recreational watercrafts, that is, from 2-15 meters long and displacing 1.5-10 tons of water. They rely on wireless communication with base stations. They also incorporate sensor data collection systems.
Like the name suggests, autonomous surface vehicle is a type of vessel that is propagated in water with no onboard crew. This technology allows for tele-operation with crews ashore or on other vessels tele-operating the USVs. Some have operation platforms that can be converted within 24 hours so that the vehicle becomes human-operated. This significantly helps to keep danger away from human crews, hence saving lives. However, the technology does not necessarily optimize the use of personnel.
Work on the USV started immediately after the Second World War with many countries taking part. Israel in particular was a pioneer in this sector of warfare. They developed some of the first prototypes that were later developed into vessels. Israel had its first operational USV as early as 2005 and was closely followed by the United States. Today, almost all first-world countries have a couple of their own units used for various applications.
Before their adoption in the navy, USVs were mostly used for academic and research applications. Several universities and research facilities owned their own units, which they used to research life in the ocean and other water bodies. With these vessels, they could reach deeper into the sea and maintain a presence for several hours or days. This made research easier and more discoveries were made.
As USV technology started to be adopted by the navy, there was drastic change in the use and level of sophistication of the vehicles. Today, their uses in the navy include harbor security, vessel protection, mine sweeping, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, area access denial, search and rescue operations, and protection of critical infrastructure. More features are being included which has led to more uses.
Most models of USVs have the whole body submerged below the water with only a mast showing up. The mast serves to enable communication with base stations and to take in air. This design presents several advantages to the navy in particular because it allows for large payload volumes, excellent passive stability, and employment of internal combustion propulsion systems. The models used for offensive missions include systems for identifying, targeting, and firing on targets on land, sea, and air.
Initially, these vehicles were propelled by liquid fuels. Liquid fuels placed limits on how far they could go and how long they can remain in water without refilling. Thus, renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and wave energy started to be researched. To that end, many countries have produced models that rely on solar and wind for energy.
So far, most USVs range in size from small to medium. Most of them are similar in size to recreational watercrafts, that is, from 2-15 meters long and displacing 1.5-10 tons of water. They rely on wireless communication with base stations. They also incorporate sensor data collection systems.
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