US Navy unmanned undersea vehicle navigation

The ability to guide and position an undersea vehicle with high precision lends itself to multiple missions, including mine warfare and undersea surveillance. In addition, precise navigation provides the capability to locate security threats and biological and oceanographic anomalies. Unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) navigation systems must provide accurate position, velocity, and attitude information over long distances and time periods. The sensors typically perform dual functions as navigation sensors and as guidance and control sensors. The implementation of an extremely precise navigation system on a tactical size UUV is a formidable task, because of limitations on size, weight, and power usage. Complicating the task are other UUV requirements, e.g. covert operation, high reliability, operation in severe environments, and world-wide operation. Low cost for procurement and maintenance are also major considerations. Two key areas must be addressed for UUV navigation systems: (1) advancement of navigation sensor technology, and (2) integration of sensor data, resulting in a synergistic navigation system