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Numéro : 2539 - Year : 2008

Unmanned maritime systems integration

Frederic SCHOM, DCNS

International Autonomous Surface Symposium (ASSS 2008)

Thanks to the advent of new technologies in underwater robotics such as acoustic communication, autonomy, collision and obstacles avoidance, military operations have to be reconsidered with the use of remotely operated or self-controlled Unmanned Maritime Vehicles (UMV). Thus, the risk for personnel and equipment can be reduced by increasing the distance between the threat and the host platform being at a safe distance.

In coherence with the development of a remote capability performed with Unmanned Maritime Vehicles, the both surface combatants and submariness has to be designed considering these remote systems and must be driven by a new set of requirements. These are the use of unmanned vehicles and to the deployment in remote regions. Launching and recovery operations of unmanned maritime vehicles remain a challenge as well as their handling during such critical phases. In addition, the need of operating several UMVs at the same time, in the same area, from the same host platform, also appears as a challenge and therefore implies new requirements to the host vessel combat systems.

Group-wide R&D on the integration and operation of torpedoes, UUVs and target unmanned vehicle linked to the host vessel’s combat system hinge on physical and command&control interfaces. It is precisely this expertise that enables DCNS to contribute to the success of UMVs integration with both surface combatants and submarines for tomorrow’s military missions.

This paper is written in English