Autonomous Underground Microborer for Characterization of Deeply Buried Underground Facilities

Although construction and entrances of deeply buried underground facilities (UGFs) may be detected by remote surveillance assets available to U.S. forces, detailed internal characterization and 24-hour monitoring of denied access facilities cannot be accomplished by current remote sensors and has therefore depended heavily on human intelligence (humint) resources, which are often not available or may be unreliable. An innovative system concept is presented for a stealthy autonomous underground microborer (AUM) to deliver sensors to designated positions near or into a UGF by microboring through the ground with a rock-melting penetrator. For an entrance monitoring mission, the AUM would carry electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) imaging and/or audio sensors periscoped to ground level near an entrance. For a UGF mapping mission, the AUM would carry a ground-penetrating radar transmitter to perform bistatic tomographic imaging of the UGF in conjunction with stealthy receiving unattended ground sensors (UGS). For an internal access mission, the AUM would carry EO/IR, audio, and/or radiological/chemical sniffers to be placed in or through walls of a UGF chamber.