Review of Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (AUV) Developments 
INTRODUCTION 
The U.S. Navy Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Master Plan [3] establishes Tactical 
Oceanography, as well as Intelligence Collection and Surveillance as the third priority of a four- 
priority program. The first two priorities are (1) Near-Term Clandestine Mine Reconnaissance 
and (2) Longer-Term, Improved Clandestine Mine Reconnaissance. These top two priorities are 
currently funded. The fourth and last priority is Exploring Advanced UUV Designs for the 
Future. The Navy UUV Master Plan identifies the importance of meteorology and oceanography 
for strategic and tactical operations and the ability of UUVs to gather data more cost-effectively. 
"Collection of oceanographic data is key in importance both for strategic and tactical operations. A 
complete and up to the moment knowledge of the ocean bottom, its characteristics and environmental 
conditions is a vital asset for mission planning. Long-term observation of water column characteristics 
will provide for improved communication and operational capabilities. UUVs are well suited for many 
oceanographic tasks as they can independently collect information for later delivery or transmission. 
Conventional oceanographic data collection is largely dependent on hull-mounted or towed systems 
that require extensive surface ship support and suffer speed limitations imposed by the tow cable. 
UUVs will permit collection of significantly greater quantities of data at less cost by multiplying the 
effectiveness of existing platforms. UUV technology provides the opportunity to acquire affordable, 
near real time data at required temporal and spatial sampling densities. Analysts will integrate these 
UUV gathered data with remotely sensed and conventional survey data and models to provide 
maritime war- fighters with critical knowledge of areas such as bathymetry, tides, waves, currents, 
winds, mines, wrecks and obstructions, and acoustic and EM/EO propagation. Envisioned missions of 
this type include: 
Bottom Structure and Composition 
Bathymetry 
Sampling 
Chemical and Physical Sampling and Tracking 
Meteorological Data 
Long Term Observation Stations 
Thermal and Salinity Profiling” 
This report provides information on developments in autonomous undersea vehicles (AUVs) and 
highlights findings targeted for the following: 
e Provide and collect current technical ocean engineering initiatives in underwater 
systems, with emphasis on AUVs 
e Identify opportunities to integrate these systems into operational use _ for 
Meteorological and Oceanographic (METOC) surveys 
e Keep current on the information available from the following activities: 
e The Commission for Geosciences, Environment, and 
Resources of the National Research Council 
The Consortium for Ocean Research and Education 
The Marine Technology Society 
Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Systems International 
The National Undersea Research Program of NOAA 
The Deep Submergence Science Committee of UNOLS 
The Scientific Environmental Research Foundation 
