Performance, safety characterizations and system integration of a large lithium thionyl chloride battery for unmanned undersea vehicles

The Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Program Office of NAVSEA (PMS403) is developing the first in a series of UUVs capable of extended autonomous missions, with launch and recovery by submarine. NSWC Carderock in conjunction with NUWC Newport, the prime contractor Boeing Corporation and the battery prime contractor HED Battery Corporation are conducting an integrated, parallel development and qualification of the nonrechargeable power source for the AN/BLQ-11 vehicle, also known as the Long-term Mine Reconnaissance System (LMRS). The authors present an overview of the system, the vehicle design for nonrechargeable power, the battery and the performance requirements. They describe the performance and safety testing being conducted and ongoing efforts to qualify the battery for internal carriage, launch and recovery by a submarine platform.