Semi-Autonomous, Reliable, Safe Recovery of the Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMMV) in Various Sea States.

This effort utilizes a new Launch and Recovery (L and R) System called Soft Rail. Soft Rail significantly eliminates the surface motion by deploying a unique depressor/drogue (D/d) system from two lines underwater below the surface interface conditions. These lines extend to the ship and are referred to as"Soft Rails"because they are tensioned by the D/d system. The D/d is inherently stable underwater and significantly reduces the surface motion in these lines. Thus payloads are stable as they traverse the Soft Rails on a trailer-like launch and recovery carriage. This operation is analogous to a gondola traversing a suspended cable. All this is done while the ship remains underway further reducing motion. Soft Rail has been successfully demonstrated at sea off the SEAL support ship the C Commando. Soft Rail can be used to L and R just about any payload including; surface RHIB"s, UAV, RMMV"s and perhaps even large UAV"s. Soft Rail may be the most significant advancement to at-sea L and R since the development of the Davit.