Now we’re going to buy gliders?
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY) announced today that its subsidiary, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., of Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded a contract to design, engineer, build, test and deliver ocean Littoral Battlespace Sensing-Gliders (LBS-G), as well as associated support equipment. The contract was awarded by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command on behalf of the Navy’s Program Executive Office for C4I. The initial cost plus incentive fee contract is valued at $6.2 million. If all options are exercised, the contract would be valued at an estimated $52.6 million. The initial contract is expected to be completed by July 2010 (November 2014 with options exercised).
The Navy plans to use fleets of gliders with their relative low cost, minimal power usage and longevity at sea to acquire critical oceanographic data to improve positioning of fleets during naval maneuvers.
I’ve got to see the CONOPS on this one. That, and the LGBT patches that will inevitably be fabricated for Focs’l Follies.
Well, since we can apparently no longer afford to purchase adequate numbers of real, manned aircraft, it sort of makes sense to fall back on these sorts of technologies.
Gliders, hang gliders, ultra-lights, those body para-glide thingees…..or sittin’ in a trailer driving a joystick all day. The future of American military aviation is bright!
I’m with you – mandatory drug testing for the team that wrote the CONOPS. “Longevity at sea?” It’s a glider! Without thermals to provide lift it becomes sea salvage. Disposable asset?
Excuse me, I didn’t even bother looking at the link because I already knew what a glider was… until today. Seems lots of things are taking on new meaning these days.
It depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is…
http://www.webbresearch.com/slocumglider.aspx
Undersea UA(U?)V, electric or thermal engine powered. Not sure how you get ‘glider’ out of that combination.
It’s an underwater glider. Pretty cool concept, really. Moves around by changing it’s boyancy and shifting internal weight. Can go for days and days, and is silent.
If it’s underwater, doesn’t that make it an “unmanned, unpowered submarine” rather than a glider?
I’ve never heard the term glider applied to a watercraft. I guess by their thinking, a sailboat’s really a glider too.
Actually it’s a sub-surface paper airplane.
Everyone here is forgetting THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of this new weapons system for the Obamaites now in control of this Nation’s fate: It’s ECO-FRIENDLY!!!!
I’m laughin so hard my side is splitting – first we get the carrier launched Unmanned systems, then we get un-manned helo-drones (DASH part two – the saga continues ), and now we got un-manned mini subs. So we take care of all them ‘spensive jet jockeys, toss in the equally ‘spensive helo bubbas, and not to be out-done, wait your turn, now its the sub-ettes’ turn!!! 5 years from now we won’t have personnel or manning problems, we won’t have to worry about retiree health costs, no exchange/commisaary/o club – cuz drones don’t need ‘em. They fly, they hover, they dive, they drop bombs, they lase targets, they report data (but do they look SH in a flight suit at Happy Hour?)
Hell fire, we got a trillion dollah deficit – the guv-mint has gotta save money somehow – keep the mission – get rid of the people!!
We can set up the operating consoles in shopping malls and let teenagers play games for “free” and really not need any military at all…
Goes with the “this is all a game” mentality in Washington.
That is what is happening in part. The kids who grew up playing video games do better with multitasking and operating unmanned systems. The companies building the robots are using control interfaces that emulate the controls that they used with video games.
JR/
At my age I’m just waiting for the controls and “sensors” that “emulate” sex.
In all seriousness – the Japanese are probably further down this road than you think.
No, G-man, do they look “F”SH in a flight-suit at Happy Hour?–you forgot the all-important modifier.
This is really just the next step after stuff like sonar buoys. These can be out longer and deployed by small ships and stuff. They can drift with the current, and move up and down to find currents going the way they want. These have already been used in civilian oceanographic research. But they do glide up and down through the water George – so that’s where the term comes in.Here is some good information including the following,A new lower-cost, surface ship or air deployed Expendable Glider (XG) is desired that will last sufficiently long that recovery is not required. One can clearly see the economics of a slightly lower cost glider to provide data and adaptation without the added cost of ship launch and recovery. To achieve the cost savings and certifications for air deployment, the XG should be a sealed unit that should not have to be opened for operation or maintenance. It should be able to activate and self locate, communicate with a ground station over Iridium, receive mission plans, and run the planned mission, transmit the data back to shore site, and at the end of its life sink to the bottom of the ocean without causing environmental harmG-man – there are still plenty of jobs for people to do – but human labor is expensive and people are capable of doing important jobs. It only makes sense to automate what one can, especially in situations like this where it is impossible to do a good job just using people.
Truth be told, this is actually one of the few UUV programs I’ve seen that makes any sense. In addition to generating bathymetric information, you could use it for all kinds of good stuff. Even if it can’t mount a very large sonar array, being away from self-ship generated noise should give it a fair ability to collect acoustic data. And I’m sure there a people far smarter than me working out other uses for it.
This is the kind of thing that bring unmanned systems into an environment where they really shine and is a part of the picture that people leave out when they try to think about how unmanned fits in.
Other automated systems will be able to tap into these huge networks, feeding vast amount of information in and process it all to have an unparalleled level of awareness.
The other huge piece will be the software that takes it all and summarizes, displays it in some human accessible form and then people will be able to ‘manage’ a battle space. It wont be perfect but it will be unlike anything that has been seen before.
XBRAD/
Yes, did you see that video (damn, can’t remember where) of the artificial, totally lifelike-like “fish” (about size of seal or large Tuna) that “swims” with same motions as real fish under internal power autonomously and will be used for pollution levels research?
Still couldn’t locate swimming fish video but here is precis of project:
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplor/login.jsp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fie15%2F4420216%2F440217%2F04420435.pdf%3Farnumber%3d4420435&
authDecision=203
bad link-disregard for now-working the prob.
XBrad
With an MS in Physical Oceanography and an ocean engineering BS, this all reeks – especially for $52 million. I’ll bet I could go to the Citadel’s Dept of Engineering and for 1/10 the funds come up with an equal or improved answer to the problem. I’d love to see the cost per unit, the R&D spent, and the payback calculation. What exactly IS the crying need for this data we’ve done without for all these years? Who deploys, who does waterspace management, who gets the data and how time late, how is it analyzed and turned around to the warfighter?
Virgil – I still gots me my FSH blue flight suit with my call sign embroidered in gold thread along with my equally FSH helmet bag from Osan with them big GOLD Navy Wings!! Guess I’ll look good as an ocean drone maintainer.
G-Man/
Favorite thing on my FSH party flt suit is the Skull & X-Bones Black Pirate Flag patch w. “Yankee Air Pirate” slogan attached bottom of flag. Obligatory wear for all us Imperialist, Yankee Pigs, “running dogs”, and “capitalist roaders.” (note to self: must remember to amend to include “sons of infidel”)
JR Peck@10:22am
Oh, I know. There’s probably more brainpower being devoted to the development of artificial, sensory internet sex than in all the weapons systems in the world. ‘Cause the guy that patents a working system will get so instantly rich as to make Midas and Croesus combined look like destitute street people–will hire Bill Gates as his gardener and Warren Buffet as his shoe-shine boy.
You want the facts? About something originating at SPAWAR? LOL.
http://www.navysbir.com/n08_s/navst08-016.htm
Sounds like a sonobuoy with batman like capabilities ta me.
b2
Yeah – that’s the page I linked above.
It’s a cool project I think.
You’re right JR. Shoulda followed your link and saved myself a 2 minute search! RTFLT.
If the cost/unit comes down it’ll be usable in the future. Sorry though. Not what I’d call one of your robots though.
Viability all comes down to cost per unit. As an example I would mention the DICASS sonobuoy that came out in the late 70′s. It was an active buoy that provided both range and bearing unlike it’s range only predeccesor. They nicknamed the bouy for brevities sake “Cadillac”., because each time the ASW boys dropped one it was like dropping a Cadillac from GM (about 12K in ’78). Eventually the price came down to that of a Pinto! Volume like WalMart I guess. AW1, help me out.
Agree with the sentiment above that the folks spending $$ on stuff like this and other SciFair projects will soon see the reality of the new budget. Defense will take a big whack. Any day now………..
b2