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This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. This product is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND mono- graphs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity. A Survey of Missions for Unmanned Undersea Vehicles Robert W. Button, John Kamp, Thomas B. Curtin, James Dryden Sponsored by the U.S. Navy Approved for public release; distribution unlimited NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH INSTITUTE The research described in this report was sponsored by the U.S. Navy and conducted within the Acquisition and Technology Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Department of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community under Contract W74V8H-06-C-0002. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A survey of missions for unmanned undersea vehicles / Robert W. Button ... [et al.]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8330-4688-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Anti-submarine warfare—United States. 2. Remote submersibles—United States. 3. Shipping—Security measures—United States. 4. Submarine warfare— United States. I. Button, Robert W. V214.S87 2009 359.9'34—dc22 2009015871 The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R® is a registered trademark. Cover design by Carol Earnest © Copyright 2009 RAND Corporation Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND documents to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND documents are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND permissions page (http://www.rand.org/publications/permissions.html). Published 2009 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [email protected] Preface Which military missions for unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) appear most promising to pursue in terms of military need, risk, alter- natives, and cost? This book presents the results of a limited study per- formed by the RAND Corporation to address this question. At the request of the sponsor, the book also surveys UUV technologies and the UUV marketplace and makes specific programmatic recommen- dations and broader recommendations (such as considering the rela- tive suitability of UUVs and unmanned surface vehicles [USVs] for many missions). The book also recommends greater emphasis on using surface platforms—instead of submarines—as launch platforms. The basis for this recommendation is that although UUVs are expected to operate in denied areas, the enhanced endurance possible through sur- face-ship operations will reduce the need to launch and recover UUVs within denied areas. This book should be of interest to the Department of the Navy, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Congress. This research was sponsored by the U.S. Navy and conducted within the Acquisition and Technology Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Department of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community. For more information on RAND’s Acquisition and Technology Policy Center, contact the Director, Philip Antón. He can be reached by email at [email protected]; by phone at 310-393-0411, extension 7798; or by mail at the RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa iii iv A Survey of Missions for Unmanned Undersea Vehicles Monica, California 90407-2138. More information about RAND is available at www.rand.org. Contents Preface ............................................................................. iii Figures ............................................................................. ix Tables .............................................................................. xi Summary .........................................................................xiii Acknowledgments ............................................................. xxv Abbreviations ..................................................................xxvii CHaptER ONE Introduction ....................................................................... 1 Objectives ........................................................................... 1 Advocated UUV Missions ...................................................... 2 Military Need, Risks, Alternatives, and Costs ............................... 4 Study Approach .................................................................... 5 Organization of This Book ........................................................ 7 CHaptER TWO UUV Missions ..................................................................... 9 Background ......................................................................... 9 Missions from the 2004 UUV Master Plan ....................................12 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance .............................13 Mine Countermeasures ........................................................16 Anti-Submarine Warfare ...................................................... 20 Inspection/Identification .......................................................25 Oceanography .................................................................. 26 Communication/Navigation Network Node ............................... 28 Payload Delivery ............................................................... 30 v vi A Survey of Missions for Unmanned Undersea Vehicles Information Operations ........................................................32 Time-Critical Strike ............................................................33 Other Missions for UUVs ........................................................35 Undersea Test Platform ........................................................35 In-Stride Minefield Transits .................................................. 36 Submarine Search and Rescue .................................................37 ASW Training .................................................................. 38 Support for Special Operations................................................39 Monitoring Undersea Infrastructure ........................................ 40 Commercial Missions .............................................................41 Offshore Oil and Gas Missions ...............................................41 Undersea-Cable Deployment and Inspection .............................. 43 Nuclear-Industry Inspections ................................................. 43 Commercial Salvage ........................................................... 43 Aquaculture ..................................................................... 44 Science Missions .................................................................. 44 Oceanographic Observing Systems .......................................... 44 Marine Archeology ............................................................ 44 CHaptER THREE UUV Subsystems and Technologies ..........................................45 Background ........................................................................45 UUV Subsystems ................................................................ 46 Pressure