Overview on ARC Unmanned Surface Vehicles

Abstract

Unmanned naval vehicles, surface (USV), submarines (UUV), and aerial (UAV) for military operations are appearing in an exponential way, making the actual warships designs, based on multi-mission spaces, to obtain modular capabilities and specific spaces to launch and recover them quickly, while these operations are developing. Focusing on the USV, its use extends to operations as diverse as the perimeter defense of the ship or the fleet, search and clearance of routes, anti-submarine warfare based on towed sonars, support to marine forces, environmental monitoring, seabed mapping, R&D in robotics, infrastructures inspection, electronic warfare and information, ISTAR tasks of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, operations against piracy and illegal traffic, communications relay, etc. It is understandable that the different Armed Forces, such as that of Colombian navy (ARC) are making budgetary efforts to equip themselves with these vehicles. Throughout this paper, the aim is to describe the technological developments carried out by the research groups Naval Design and Engineering Program (PRODIN) of COTECMAR shipyard, and the Naval Control, Communications and Design Research group (GICCDN) of ENAP University.