Large Naval UUVs – Navigating Between Simple and Very Complex

There are a wide range of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) in operation today and they already include a vehicle with 45te displacement. Technology developments in underwater communications, autonomy, and battery and power systems, driven in part by the automotive industry, mean that many previously perceived barriers/blockers can be overcome, and underwater capability opportunities
realized. These opportunities include distancing operators from threats, reducing cost, but also reducing manpower requirements for mundane operations. Many nations require these roles in territorial waters, the extended neighbourhood and expeditionary operations. This and payload requirements conspire to drive future vehicles into a less well understood design bracket between current small UUVs and manned diesel-electric submarines. This paper describes some of the resultant Large UUV design challenges and opportunities such as shorter development cycles, the risk of an unstable design space between relatively simple expendable UUVs and very complex manned submarines, the need for reliability and applicable rules and standards. It describes a design methodology that applies light-touch system engineering principles to vehicle concept development to address these challenges. This is supported by development and description of an illustrative Large UUV design which provides a good balance of cost, complexity, and capability.