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Navy flying drone to launch from submarine's trash chute
'Switchblade' drones could provide sneaky surveillance for submerged subs
By Jeremy Hsu
updated 12/27/2011 1:27:06 PM ET
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45797704/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/
A backpack-size kamikaze drone ordered into combat by the U.S. Army could also soon become an aerial scout for U.S. Navy submarines hidden beneath the waves. Launching a flying robot from underwater utilizes a sneaky tactic — using a tube that normally ejects trash from a submarine.
The Navy wants the "Switchblade" drone designed by AeroVironment to become a flying scout capable of spotting enemy ships over the horizon, even as the "mother" submarine remains hidden underwater. Its upcoming submarine launch test would coincide with the world's biggest naval war games in 2012, according to a new contract awarded to U.S. defense firm Raytheon.
Previous tests by Raytheon in 2008 showed how submerged launch vehicles can float to the surface and launch flying drones such as the Switchblade. But those demonstrations only involved surface ships and dummy drones.
The planned submarine launch would use the trash-disposal unit — the tube that typically ejects the trash of submarine crews — rather than one of several torpedo tubes designed to fire at enemy ships or submarines. Such a launch would take place with the submarine running just beneath the waves at periscope depth.
The Switchblade drone was originally designed to launch from a tube set up on the ground by a U.S. Army soldier, fly around until the soldier identified an enemy, and then dive at the target with explosive results. It's unclear whether or not the Navy wants the Switchblade to keep its kamikaze capability, but the scouting role seems far more useful for a submarine that already packs plenty of explosive torpedoes and missiles.
Any intended mission may become clearer during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise scheduled for 2012. That annual naval war game held by the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific involves plenty of opportunity for practice alongside ships ranging from carriers to destroyers and frigates.
If successful, Switchblade would join the U.S. military's fast-growing arsenal of robots at sea. The Navy has already begun testing a stealthy X-47B drone that could someday launch in squadrons from the heaving decks of carriers, as well as a Fire-X helicopter drone aimed at special operations such as catching smugglers or pirates.
Another article on this drone:
http://www.dailytech.com/SubLaunche...uide+US+Subs+to+Better+Kills/article23598.htm
Sub-Launched "Switchblade" Drone Helps Guide U.S. Subs to Better Kills
Jason Mick (Blog) - December 26, 2011 2:48 PM
Stealthy drone solution can detect enemy ships even in cases where sonar is limited
Modern submarine designs rely on sonar to "see" enemy vessels, but terrain features like ocean banks can obscure vision, preventing reliable hunting. These limitations are common referred to as "line of sight" (LOS) problems.
But the wonders of robotics may soon change that. Drone-maker AeroVironment has created a special maritime-ready unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which stealthily hovers over the sea eying enemy ships and transmitting what it sees to a lurking submarine.
Raytheon Comp. (RTN) is helping to give the marine drone a leg up, by creating a launch vehicle for it. The submerged launch vehicle (SLV) will jettison from the submarine's trash shoot and quietly make its way to the surface. From there it will eject the UAV into flight.
The new drone is part of a collection of projects dubbed Submarine Over-The-Horizon Organic Capabilities (SOTHOC). In 2008 Raytheon demonstrated similar capabilities from a "over-the-side" launch by a drone-containing SLV thrown literally over the side of a surface vessel.
The SLV is a rather ingenious construct. It consists of weighted ballast, which sinks the craft for a certain amount of time, allowing the submarine to move away from the launch position. After a given amount of time, these weights are released and a float collar inflates, bringing the package to the surface. The delayed release, again, is design to obfuscate the attacker's true location.
A drogue (a parachute like construct) is deployed to steady the SLV amidst the choppy ocean, while a vane aligns it into the wind. The tube's control electronics pivot the surfaced, oriented tube at a 35 angle. The tube then fires, hurling the UAV up into the wind and off on its way.
The device will be tested during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 exercise, the latest edition of the world's largest multi-national maritime exercise, conducted biennially on even years in Hawaii. Raytheon is currently perfecting five SLVs and working with AeroVironment to tune its squadron of seven UAVs.
Recent "justification and approval" (J&A) documents indicate that Raytheon in late 2008 conducted a successful launch from periscope depth. The next step is to conduct a launch from a deeper cruising depth.
If Raytheon and AeroVironment can pull off that technical feat in time for RIMPAC 2012, they may just revolutionize sea warfare in a small way and give the U.S. another small technological leg up on its foreign rivals like China.
In related news, similar military research and development work is being put towards developing unmanned subs, which in a future war fleet could complement larger human-manned subs, while reducing weight requirements and human life risks.
'Switchblade' drones could provide sneaky surveillance for submerged subs
By Jeremy Hsu
updated 12/27/2011 1:27:06 PM ET
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45797704/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/
A backpack-size kamikaze drone ordered into combat by the U.S. Army could also soon become an aerial scout for U.S. Navy submarines hidden beneath the waves. Launching a flying robot from underwater utilizes a sneaky tactic — using a tube that normally ejects trash from a submarine.
The Navy wants the "Switchblade" drone designed by AeroVironment to become a flying scout capable of spotting enemy ships over the horizon, even as the "mother" submarine remains hidden underwater. Its upcoming submarine launch test would coincide with the world's biggest naval war games in 2012, according to a new contract awarded to U.S. defense firm Raytheon.
Previous tests by Raytheon in 2008 showed how submerged launch vehicles can float to the surface and launch flying drones such as the Switchblade. But those demonstrations only involved surface ships and dummy drones.
The planned submarine launch would use the trash-disposal unit — the tube that typically ejects the trash of submarine crews — rather than one of several torpedo tubes designed to fire at enemy ships or submarines. Such a launch would take place with the submarine running just beneath the waves at periscope depth.
The Switchblade drone was originally designed to launch from a tube set up on the ground by a U.S. Army soldier, fly around until the soldier identified an enemy, and then dive at the target with explosive results. It's unclear whether or not the Navy wants the Switchblade to keep its kamikaze capability, but the scouting role seems far more useful for a submarine that already packs plenty of explosive torpedoes and missiles.
Any intended mission may become clearer during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise scheduled for 2012. That annual naval war game held by the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific involves plenty of opportunity for practice alongside ships ranging from carriers to destroyers and frigates.
If successful, Switchblade would join the U.S. military's fast-growing arsenal of robots at sea. The Navy has already begun testing a stealthy X-47B drone that could someday launch in squadrons from the heaving decks of carriers, as well as a Fire-X helicopter drone aimed at special operations such as catching smugglers or pirates.
Another article on this drone:
http://www.dailytech.com/SubLaunche...uide+US+Subs+to+Better+Kills/article23598.htm
Sub-Launched "Switchblade" Drone Helps Guide U.S. Subs to Better Kills
Jason Mick (Blog) - December 26, 2011 2:48 PM
Stealthy drone solution can detect enemy ships even in cases where sonar is limited
Modern submarine designs rely on sonar to "see" enemy vessels, but terrain features like ocean banks can obscure vision, preventing reliable hunting. These limitations are common referred to as "line of sight" (LOS) problems.
But the wonders of robotics may soon change that. Drone-maker AeroVironment has created a special maritime-ready unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which stealthily hovers over the sea eying enemy ships and transmitting what it sees to a lurking submarine.
Raytheon Comp. (RTN) is helping to give the marine drone a leg up, by creating a launch vehicle for it. The submerged launch vehicle (SLV) will jettison from the submarine's trash shoot and quietly make its way to the surface. From there it will eject the UAV into flight.
The new drone is part of a collection of projects dubbed Submarine Over-The-Horizon Organic Capabilities (SOTHOC). In 2008 Raytheon demonstrated similar capabilities from a "over-the-side" launch by a drone-containing SLV thrown literally over the side of a surface vessel.
The SLV is a rather ingenious construct. It consists of weighted ballast, which sinks the craft for a certain amount of time, allowing the submarine to move away from the launch position. After a given amount of time, these weights are released and a float collar inflates, bringing the package to the surface. The delayed release, again, is design to obfuscate the attacker's true location.
A drogue (a parachute like construct) is deployed to steady the SLV amidst the choppy ocean, while a vane aligns it into the wind. The tube's control electronics pivot the surfaced, oriented tube at a 35 angle. The tube then fires, hurling the UAV up into the wind and off on its way.
The device will be tested during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 exercise, the latest edition of the world's largest multi-national maritime exercise, conducted biennially on even years in Hawaii. Raytheon is currently perfecting five SLVs and working with AeroVironment to tune its squadron of seven UAVs.
Recent "justification and approval" (J&A) documents indicate that Raytheon in late 2008 conducted a successful launch from periscope depth. The next step is to conduct a launch from a deeper cruising depth.
If Raytheon and AeroVironment can pull off that technical feat in time for RIMPAC 2012, they may just revolutionize sea warfare in a small way and give the U.S. another small technological leg up on its foreign rivals like China.
In related news, similar military research and development work is being put towards developing unmanned subs, which in a future war fleet could complement larger human-manned subs, while reducing weight requirements and human life risks.
