High Energy Density Power Sources for Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Sensor Payloads

Without humans onboard, small unmanned vessels will be capable of remaining on-station for much greater lengths of time than their manned counterparts. This long cycle time puts great demand on the onboard power generation systems, as these systems must be compact and light weight in order to fit into the small mission spaces, yet feature exceptional fuel economy if the vessel is have reasonable time between fuel shuttle visits or return trips to the host vessel for fuel. The result of a fuel-inefficient power generation system would be an increased host ship launching and recovery of fuel shuttles or the craft itself, either of which would hamper the effectiveness of the host ship, which is also attempting to showcase reduced staffing. In this manner, the entire concept of larger LCS-type ship utilizing small USVs relies on a fuel efficient USV power generation system for mission effectiveness. The proposed effort involves researching conventional and unconventional engines, energy storage, and energy conversion devices. Recent advancements will be considered alongside proven technologies in an attempt to evolve an efficient combination that can be utilized to improve the on-station time of USVs, as well as enable high power systems on small manned craft.