UAV Mothership
Abstract
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technologies have been rapidly advancing. Compact in size, diverse in application, and capable of autonomous operation, UAVs are appealing for a variety of military missions. The U.S. Navy is exploring the potential use of unmanned vehicle systems for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance missions such as Anti-Submarine Warfare, search and rescue, and combat surveillance. UAVs reduce the risk of human loss, reduce monetary risk, and have extended operational flexibility and endurance. Large scale "swarms" of UAVs could scan a much larger combat area in less time than traditional airborne systems. The U.S. Navy is currently reevaluating its approach to combat surveillance by modeling the effectiveness of a UAV swarm and may conclude that a swarm is indeed the most effective strategy. The need to integrate unmanned aerial systems on board a mothership capable of launching, recovering, commanding, and maintaining UAVs has driven the development of this concept ship designed around the function of its aircraft systems. It includes such features as automated shipboard fixed-wing UAV launching for fast deployment, a large helicopter flight deck for sequential vertical take-off, and catch nets that deploy from the flight deck for UAV recovery. The design presented in this study demonstrates the size and layout of a feasible ship that meets the demand for a UAV Mothership.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA518429
Entities
People
- Cayle Bradley
- Daniel Hanks
- Joanmarie Mckelvey
- Joanne Daniel
- Josh Raanan
Organizations
- Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division