Tethered Antennas for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

摘要

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program has funded the development of a system that will allow UUVs to communicate through RF communication and collect GPS location while below the surface and travelling at speed. Under this effort, Brooke Ocean Technology USA, Inc. (BOT USA) has conducted a Phase I study to develop, evaluate, and select innovative concepts for a Towed Antenna System (TAS). Based on this study, a functional proof of concept tow body has been built and tested. Both GPS and Wi-Fi were successfully demonstrated at sea while the system was under tow. An innovative launch and recovery reeling system has been designed and the key elements of the system have been tested. Going beyond the proof of concept, BOT USA has created a set of optimized design concepts for consideration in the final system. The work conducted to date would significantly reduce the risks associated with building a functional TAS system in a Phase II program. In addition, successful creation of a universal towed antenna would be of interest to the ever-growing world of commercial UUVs in use today. BOT USA is in a unique position to capitalize on this large market opportunity.