An Analysis of Undersea Glider Architectures and an Assessment of Undersea Glider Integration into Undersea Applications
Abstract
Currently, buoyancy driven underwater gliders are deployed globally to gather oceanographic data from across the world's oceans. This thesis examines the utility of underwater gliders within the context of providing additional U.S. Navy capabilities. An extensive survey of available underwater gliders was undertaken and the resultant survey pool of ten gliders was down selected to five gliders of fixed wing configuration. A comprehensive architectural analysis was then conducted of seven key architectural attributes of the five selected gliders. The architectural analysis compared various implementations of the key architectural attributes relative to desirable traits and capabilities for a notional U.S. Navy glider. Following the architectural analysis, a proposed architecture for a U.S. Navy underwater glider was developed that included a compendium of "best" features gleaned from the architectural analysis. Drivers and rationale for the selection of specific key architectural attributes and features, and a comparison of constraints and capabilities of underwater gliders also are provided. Finally, a comparison of the current and proposed capabilities of underwater gliders versus other Autonomous Undersea Vehicles, specifically Unmanned Undersea Vehicles, is proffered.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA567412
Entities
People
- William P. Barker
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School