The evolutionary development of the military autonomous underwater vehicle

Rockwell (Autonetics Marine Systems Division) and ISE Research have teamed to develop autonomous underwater vehicle systems for military applications. Using the capability of commercially developed systems, such as the ARCS, as a base, the authors will describe the evolutionary development of the military systems which may be introduced into service by the mid 1990´s. The paper will outline anticipated trends in the development path, comparing these to the trends observed in the development of the ROV. Technology development required for the mid 1990 AUV will be described. A model of the general purpose AUV will be presented and potential applications which the platform can be suited for will be outlined.