USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Donald T Gomez

Christopher F Hillenbrand

An unmanned undersea vehicle system includes a remote-controlled, unmanned ndersea vehicle and a mother vehicle interconnected by a communication link. The unmanned undersea vehicle includes a weapon compartment, an erectable observation mast and a control element. Within the weapon compartment are a plurality of weapon deployment devices situated about a central core, each weapon deployment device having a weapon canister for carrying a weapon. The weapon deployment devices are pivotable between a retracted position and an extended position. Each weapon canister includes end caps at opposing ends which are discharged when the weapon contained therein is fired to allow seawater to enter. The erectable observation mast obtains environmental information. The control element controls pivoting of the weapon deployment devices between the retracted, non-deployed position and the extended, deployed position to facilitate firing of a weapon, and retraction after firing. The weapon canisters from which weapons have been fired retain seawater to provide for an axi-symmetrical distribution of mass. The mother vehicle generates command information for controlling the control element and receives unmanned undersea vehicle status information and processes it for use in generating the command information. The communication link facilitates transfers of command information from the mother vehicle to the unmanned undersea vehicle and unmanned undersea vehicle status information from the unmanned undersea vehicle to the mother vehicle.

System for deploying weapons carried in an annular configuration in a UUV

An unmanned undersea vehicle system comprises a remote-controlled, unmanned ndersea vehicle and a mother vehicle interconnected by a communication link. The unmanned undersea vehicle includes a weapon compartment, an erectable observation mast and a control element. Within the weapon compartment are a weapon and a buoyancy chamber positioned axi-symmetrically therein. The buoyancy chamber is initially empty and has sufficient capacity so that it can be loaded with seawater whose mass approximates mass of the weapon. The weapon compartment further includes controllable intake valving for enabling seawater surrounding the vehicle to fill the buoyancy chamber. The erectable observation mast obtains environmental information. The control element controls the deployment of the weapon by expelling the weapon from the weapon compartment and thereafter controls the firing of the weapon. The control element cooperates with the intake valving to maintain a predetermined distribution of mass as the weapon is deployed. The mother vehicle generates command information for controlling the control element and receives unmanned undersea vehicle status information from the unmanned undersea vehicle and processes it for use in generating the command information. The communication link interconnects the unmanned undersea vehicle and the mother vehicle to facilitate transfer of command information from the mother vehicle to the unmanned undersea vehicle and to further facilitate transfer of unmanned undersea vehicle status information from the unmanned undersea vehicle to the mother vehicle.

Unmanned undersea vehicle system for weapon deployment

In brief summary, the invention provides an unmanned undersea vehicle sys comprising a mother vehicle and a daughter unmanned undersea vehicle. The unmanned undersea vehicle has an erectable observation mast for obtaining environmental information. A communication link interconnects the mother vehicle and the unmanned undersea vehicle for transferring command information from the mother vehicle to the unmanned undersea vehicle and unmanned undersea vehicle status information from the unmanned undersea vehicle to the mother vehicle.

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Little Compton, RI, United States of America

Donald T Gomez