Uncrewed Systems Technology 048 | Kodiak Driver | 5G focus | Tiburon USV | Skypersonic Skycopter and Skyrover | CES 2023 | Limbach L 2400 DX and L 550 EFG | NXInnovation NX 100 Enviro | Solar power focus | Protegimus Protection

58 M any UUV platforms that are now well-known have been developed and supplied to civil, commercial and military markets since the 1990s. For most of that time though, the majority of UUV operations have consisted of a few hours of submerged sonar data gathering, with a small range of applications including seafloor mapping and mine countermeasures. However, these days there is a plethora of newUUV concepts of operation (CONOPs) appearing, as a result of uncrewed systems engineers recognising newmarket niches to fulfil, and because growing awareness of autonomous vehicle capabilities are showing customers new ways that UUVs could help them. Defence For instance, naval forces around the world have long made use of uncrewed aircraft such as the Predator and ScanEagle to conduct coastal and maritime surveillance missions. But only in recent years have they begun to realise the efficiency and effectiveness that UUVs can enable in a host of very long endurance applications other than general ISR. These can include persistent survey missions such as border monitoring, or inspecting and protecting vital underwater assets such as subsea cables for power and comms, as well as more dynamic operations such as anti- submarine warfare. Engineering a UUV to perform such operations for months on end is challenging, but it has become a major focal point for several navies. One such vehicle is the Solus-LR from Cellula Robotics (see UST 30, February/March 2020). Its design comes with a suction anchor that can be deployed to station- keep at zones of high interest, such as contested maritime border areas or near naval docks or labs at risk of espionage, to enable it to continue surveying without using its thrusters. Station to station February/March 2023 | Uncrewed Systems Technology UUV customers appear to be prizing station-keeping and hovering over other capabilities, leading to specific innovations as Rory Jackson explains The Solus-XR XLUUV from Cellula Robotics is being developed for ranges of 5000 km through its hydrogen-electric powertrain (Courtesy of Cellula Robotics)