Thursday, April 16, 2015

Navy develops Low-Cost UAV Technology Over, On and Under the Sea

LOCUST spreads its wings
News: Autonomous, swarming UAVs fly into the future - Office of Naval Research

For Immediate Release: April 14, 2015


By David Smalley, Office of Naval Research


NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — A new era in autonomy and unmanned systems for naval operations is on the horizon, as officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced today recent technology demonstrations of swarming unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — part of the Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) program.


LOCUST can launch swarming UAVs to autonomously overwhelm an adversary. The deployment of UAV swarms will provide Sailors and Marines a decisive tactical advantage. (Watch: LOCUST video on YouTube) “The recent demonstrations are an important step on the way to the 2016 ship-based demonstration of 30 rapidly launched autonomous, swarming UAVs,” said ONR program manager Lee Mastroianni.

ARLINGTON, Va. (April 7, 2015): First publicly released photo of ONR's
Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle - Innovative Naval
Prototype (LDUUV-INP). The LDUUV-INP technologies will
develop enhanced capabilities in endurance, energy, and
autonomous capabilities. Photo credit Office of Naval Research.
CHIPS Articles: LDUUV, SWARMING UAVS AT SEA-AIR-SPACE
SEAPOWER Magazine Online - Chief of Naval Research to Discuss ONR Technologies at Sea-Air-Space

Posted: April 9, 2015 4:47 PM

ARLINGTON, Va. — For the first time ever, the Large Displacement Unmanned Undersea Vehicle-Innovative Naval Prototype (LDUUV-INP) will be on display to the public during the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition, at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) booth No. 1012, ONR announced in an April 9 release.


Chief of Naval Research RADM Mathias W. Winter will hold a special informational session at the ONR booth from 12:45 to 1:15 p.m. on April 14 to discuss the ONR technologies on display.


LDUUV-INP represents cutting-edge UUV research that delivers game-changing capabilities to naval warfighters, including new capabilities in endurance, power and autonomy.


Other breakthrough ONR technologies on display include:

  • LOCUST (Low-Cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Swarming Technology)  is a prototype, tube-launched UAV. The LOCUST program will make possible the rapid launch of multiple UAVs to autonomously swarm and overwhelm the adversary. Researchers continue to push the
    state-of-the-art in autonomy control, and plan to launch 30 autonomous UAVs in 2016 in under a minute from R/V Sea Fighter, an advanced technology demonstrator operated by ONR.
  • GBAD (Ground-Based Air Defense On-the-Move) is a vehicle-based, mobile, high-energy laser that is a cost-effective defense against asymmetric threats like UAVs. On display will be the system's search radar and a model of the planar waveguide laser.
  • MDUSV (Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle) will be to autonomous surface vehicles what LDUUV will be to undersea autonomy. This technology will be joined with an emerging new 130-foot long vessel called the Antisubmarine Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel, in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
 Unmanned and autonomous – deep in the ocean and swarming in the air | Defense Update:

The US Navy Office of Naval Research (ONR) completed the first phase of flight testing of swarming unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as part of the Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) program.

The ONR demonstrations, which took place over the last month in multiple locations, included the launch of Coyote UAVs capable of carrying varying payloads for different missions. Another technology demonstration of nine UAVs accomplished completely autonomous UAV synchronization and formation flight.


▶ LOCUST - Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology - YouTube




The Low-Cost Unmannded aerial vehicle Swarming Technology (LOCUST) is a prototype tube-launched UAV. The LOCUST program will make possible the launch of multiple swarming UAVs to autonomously overwhelm and adversary. http://wp.me/p3cRXG-ej9

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