Designing Rugged SWaP-Optimized MOSA Solutions for UUVs

As the U.S. Navy increases its investment in its fleet of unmanned undersea vehicles (UUV), suppliers of rugged commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) subsystems, providing solutions for mission computers, network switches and routers, and data storage are meeting the needs of these unique platforms.

The Navy classifies UUV systems into four categories, based on their size and how they are launched. Small UUVs range in diameter from 3″ to 10″ and can be man portable or submarine launched. Examples of small UUVs include the Swordfish and Sandfish. Medium UUVs have a diameter of 10″ to 21″ and are surface or submarine launched. Examples of medium UUVs include the Kingfish and the Knifefish. The Knifefish UUV, which is dedicated to mine hunting, is a great example of a UUV designed for a specific purpose. Large displacement UUVs (LDUUV) range in size from 21″ to 84″ in diameter and are also launched on the surface or from a submarine.