Review of Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (AUV) Developments 
MISSION RECONFIGURABLE UUV [3,4] 
In 1995, under the sponsorship of several federal agencies, the World Technology Evaluation 
Center (WTEC) of Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland sent a group of experts to Russia to 
benchmark the non-military undersea technology of the Former Soviet Union. In Valdivostok, 
the group visited the Institute of Marine Technology Problems and observed a very large 
number of AUVs. Most of the AUVs had conducted operational missions to depths exceeding 
20,000 feet. Funding and emphasis for this institute was due in large part to the U.S. operation 
to recover a sunken Soviet submarine in the Pacific (Operation Jennifer). Russia desired to 
know what the United States did and did not recover. These vehicles were for the most part 
reconfigurable and modular. The WTEC report resulting from this visit to the Institute influenced 
AUV construction in the United States. The value of modular, reconfigurable AUVs was 
recognized. 
The core of the Navy's UUV Master Plan is the development of modular UUV systems that can 
be readily configured to perform a variety of missions. With common functional modules and 
standardized internal interfaces, great flexibility and transition between systems can be 
achieved. This plan recommends standardizing on two module sizes: a small 6 to 12-inch- 
diameter module and a larger, nominally 21-inch-diameter module. The UUV Master Plan 
describes these two module standards as follows. 
The Mini-Modular UUV (M?UUV) will be fielded in various sizes based on the small undersea 
modules. These modules would provide the Comm/Nav Aid capability and augment the current 
SSN capability (figure 6). The first step in developing the M?UUV would be standardization of 
the module size and contents, with special attention paid to those capabilities needed by the 
vehicle system as a whole. As these standard modules are developed, payload modules will be 
developed on a parallel path, thus ensuring system compatibility. These payload modules will 
include specific packages such as oceanographic sensors, communications links, and 
navigation systems. In turn, they can provide building blocks for larger systems. Following the 
initial module development, UUVs that meet the requirements of the Comm/NAV aid mission 
can be fielded, possibly as early as FY2005. Later M?UUVs will form the core of the SWARM 
concept, providing a rapid mine reconnaissance capability by FY08 with a clearance capability 
to follow. As required, oceanographic and other missions enabled by the M?UUVs would follow. 
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