High Speed Combatant Craft Automated Ride Control

Marine 1, LLC and senior business partner Moxahela Enterprises, LLC are pleased to present this proposal for the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) topic number SOCOM10-005 for high speed combatant craft automated ride control. USSOCOM has identified the need for a lightweight, automated ride control system that will model and predict craft motion to dynamically adjust craft systems including trim tabs and propulsion vector, for the purpose of significantly improving the ride quality aboard their high speed craft in elevated seas. Operations in elevated sea states result in extreme accelerations and shock forces that are debilitating to craft, crew and passengers. Personnel associated with special boat operations too often sustain significant and permanent injuries. Currently, USSOCOM’s Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSOF) relies almost exclusively on the skill and experience of Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crewmen (SWCC) to mitigate the impact of turbulent seas. These crewmen employ navigation, maneuver and throttle manipulation as a means to control their vessels in adverse environmental conditions. USSOCOM’s recent Combatant Craft Medium (CCM) requirements seek to limit the injury causing forces experienced by its high speed craft personnel. These safety-minded requirements have inspired several highly advanced shock mitigating hull designs. A motion damping capable, attitude stabilizing automated ride control system will serve to compliment and enhance USSOCOM’s bold new generation of fast vessels. BENEFITS: An automated, active attitude control, stabilization, and motion damping system for Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft will significantly impact NAVSOF mission effectiveness and improve the operational availability of SWCC and SEAL personnel. The resulting improved craft ride quality will reduce the shock experienced by SWCC operators and SEAL passengers, thus reducing injuries during training and mission operations, reducing SWCC and SEAL fatigue during long and short transits, and improve stability during replenishment and boarding maneuvers. The secondary benefits to the addition of an automated ride control system for combatant craft will be in extending craft life, reducing the life cycle costs in craft maintenance due to shock, and in reducing the training time for SWCC personnel. Operating the craft will become much easier when an automated ride control system is fully implemented.