Reduced Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Motions For Reliable Recovery

USVs will be launched and recovered from the LCS in sea states up to 4. A number of efforts, including previous SBIR projects, have focused on USV recovery by the LCS. None of the efforts has focused specifically on reducing the relative motion between the USV and the mother ship. The objective of the proposed work is to reduce the relative motion between the USV and LCS during recovery to increase the probability of recovery. The technology solution that is proposed here is a Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) control system that synchronizes the relative motions between the USV and the mother ship using the USV control system. VCT is uniquely positioned to provide a solution to this problem with its extensive track record of developing high fidelity hydrodynamic and dynamics simulations for use in control system design and testing. VCT is a leading provider of vehicle control systems for US Navy systems. We have delivered 14 Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) software suites to a wide variety of contractors over the past decade. These systems range in size from the man-portable Nekton 3” Next Generation Countermeasure to the 46” square LExUS UUV and the Cutthroat Large Scale Vehicle (LSV-2).