The United States Department of the Navy is seeking diver and unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) detection and tracking technologies.
The department wants the technologies to augment seabed and port security, supporting detection, tracking, and fire control, a department solicitation notice stated.
The department’s desired mission packages — including subsystems, equipment, and software — fall into two categories: mission manager and mission module.
The mission manager includes mission planning, tactical decision aid, field management (health, status), and battle damage assessment.
The mission module comprises detection, tracking, negation, and communications systems.
Counter-UUV System
To detect and classify threats, the department wants a complex of UUV-based networked wireless sensor nodes.
The sensors should be able to identify the threat’s physical features, range, and speed and provide them to command and control.
Data should then be processed to provide the target’s track and position.
The department could identify “potential future actions (2024-2030)” based on the responses.
Concerns About UUV Attacks
The solicitation coincides with the Senate Armed Services Committee seeking a report from the Secretary of Defense on the potential threats from UUVs to US military installations.
“Incursions of unmanned aerial vehicles into United States airspace is an issue of concern. The committee believes that potential incursions of unmanned underwater vehicles could pose similar problems for our security,” the committee said in its report on the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.
“Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to analyze incidents of suspected or confirmed intrusions by UUVs on or near US military installations.
Based on that analysis, the Secretary shall identify a strategy for addressing such incursions, and whether the Department needs to acquire different or enhanced capabilities to neutralize future threats from UUVs.”
