Autonomous Recovery and Guidance of UAVs onboard Ship (ARGUS)

Expanding maritime threats, including China’s ambitious naval expansion, rising U.S. shipbuilding costs, and Congress’s reluctance to fund a significantly larger fleet are hindering the U.S. Navy’s ability to protect the nation’s vital interests. The Navy's need for innovative solutions is critical to maintaining operational superiority. Large fixed-wing UAVs operating from ships that are not traditionally air-capable offer tremendous potential to the Navy by providing Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), increased lethality, ship self-defense, and ‘loyal wingman’ support for manned aircraft?. This SBIR topic, N242-083, specifically calls for the development of a novel recovery system for Group 3–5 UAVs suitable for sea-based operations.The proposed Autonomous Recovery and Guidance of UAVs onboard Ship (ARGUS) system is designed to be installed on naval ships with minimal footprint impact compared to other large capture devices.  Additionally, this proposed solution can be scaled for UAVs within Groups 3 to 5, ensuring broad compatibility and operational flexibility.