2025_programme: Acoustic Surveillance Using an Unmanned Blended Wing Glider

• Day: June 17, Tuesday
    Location / Time: B. ERATO at 09:10 - 09:30
• Last minutes changes: -
• Session: 25. Unmanned vehicles for underwater acoustic surveillance and monitoring
  Organiser(s): Alain Maguer
  Chairperson(s): Alain Maguer
• Lecture: Acoustic Surveillance Using an Unmanned Blended Wing Glider
  Paper ID: 2205
  Author(s): Scott Mahar, Gerald D'Spain
  Presenter: Scott Mahar
  Abstract: Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) are efficient task multipliers, able to perform underwater surveillance and monitoring, while freeing manned platforms to perform more complex work. Through optimizing the UUV as a blended wing glider with forward propulsion provided by an intermittently operated buoyancy engine, the acoustic and electromagnetic signatures are drastically reduced, while the endurance and range of the vehicle is significantly increased. Additionally, higher energy density systems such as fuel cell systems can further advance the surveillance capabilities of a UUV. \n\nGeneral Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) is developing and testing a novel fuel cell powered UUV: a large, blended wing glider, optimized for stealth with extended transit and zero surface expression. GA-EMS has hybridized an existing 20-foot blended wing glider with a fuel cell system and is presently testing this system at-sea. The glider’s wingspan enables spatially separated towed arrays, as well as fixed horizontal and vertical arrays on the leading edges and in the tail. Data from at-sea testing will be presented, showing the ability of the blended-wing glider to resolve signal location and elevation angle of a controlled underwater source.\n\nGA-EMS is also optimizing and fabricating a next generation 20-foot blended wing glider, due to be completed in 2025. At this wingspan, the glider can be easily handled, launched, and recovered for a modest cost, while still performing relevant surveillance missions; a much larger glider is envisioned for a final product. This next generation glider will include a sizable payload volume with the ability to transport and deploy novel surveillance systems. Aspects of the design of this next-generation glider will be presented.
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• Corresponding author: Dr Scott Mahar
  Affiliation: General Atomics
  Country: United States