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UUV' 3 offer the potential for revolutionary advances in 

 undersea data gathering. Coincidentally, New England contains the 

 greatest concentration of UUV technologists in the United States, 

 working in various academic institutions, small and large 

 businesses, and at the Navy's iindersea technology laboratory. 



NUWC is the Navy's key resource in developing UU\' 

 technologies and vehicles. It has been aggressively pursuing 

 advances in UUV propulsion, control, sensors, communications 

 systems, and oceanographic raapping; and has demonstrated many 

 advances in its adaptive vehicles. In addition to its own 

 efforts, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport 

 (NUWCDIVNPT) has established cooperative ties with academic 

 Institutions and some small businesses working on relevant 

 technologies. In-water evaluations of their subsystem 

 technologies are enabled using NUWCDIVNPT 's Large Diameter UUV 

 (LDUUV - 26.5" dia.) test vehicle in its Narragansett Bay test 

 facilities. 



The academic nucleus of UUV subsystems expertise in New 

 England is very strong. Specific areas of technology advancement 

 include Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (UUV Low Speed 

 Controller Models, High Data Rate Acoustic Communications Modems 

 and Software) , MIT (Novel Navigation Technique - Geophysical Map- 

 based) , and Northeastern University (High Data Rate Acoustic 

 Communications Network Protocols) . 



Thus a special opportunity has aiBexged - to apply 

 advanced UUV technologies for effectively achieving the goals of 

 the MASSRICON consortium in the areas of fishery and coastal 

 environmental data gathering/modeling verification. In addition, 

 demonstrating these new UUV technologies would also support the 

 five UUV focal projects being proposed in the National Research 

 Council's Undersea Vehicles and National Needs study. The areas 

 of required technological advancement - high resolution sensors, 

 high data rate acoustic communications, advanced energy storage, 

 non-traditional geophysical navigation, and UUV-based 

 environmental sampling for models - could also have very 

 significant applications in UUV's for military uses. 



In summary, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center has a mission 

 commitment to various aspects of oceanographic research, and is 

 ready to expand its cooperative efforts with regional partners. 

 The prospect of NUWCDIVNPT and its academic and industry partners 

 demonstrating and applying new UUV technologies is especially 

 promising. It would satisfy the need for intensive data gathering 

 to understand coastal and fisheries phenomena in a time- emd cost- 

 effective way, a primary goal of New England's MASSRICON 

 consortium. It would support the NRC National Needs effort in 

 undersea vehicles and also help fulfill NUWC's mission by 

 advancing the Navy' s undersea warfare technology base . 



