Autonomous Unmanned Surface Vehicle Fueling at Sea

OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Trusted AI and Autonomy OBJECTIVE: Develop a capability that will enable Large Unmanned Surface Vehicles (LUSVs) to conduct astern refueling operations from an auxiliary ship or platform while underway. DESCRIPTION: LUSVs are intended to operate autonomously, including fueling at sea operations. Currently there is no technology, military or commercial, to facilitate autonomous FAS operations with Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) . Manned astern FAS operations involve the refueling ship trailing a hose in the water that the receiving ship retrieves from the water and connects to a fuel riser on the bow of the vessel. This operation requires personnel to hook the hose in the water, operate a gypsy winch to pull the hose up on the deck of the vessel, and finally connect/disconnect the hose to the fuel riser. The Navy seeks to automate this process to eliminate the requirement for personnel aboard the receive ship. The proposed solution should deploy from the bow of the LUSV and be capable of autonomously identifying, locating, and connecting to a 6 inch astern refueling hose in the water. Solutions could include a simple adapter to the standard hose interface on the refueling platform. The Navy values a solution that minimizes the equipment that needs to be developed. Proposed solutions should incorporate the entire process and must not include temporary manning of the LUSV. The autonomous FAS system shall conduct and complete refueling evolutions while underway in sea state condition three from a logistics support platform without requiring any onboard/manned support on the receiving vessel. The system shall have emergency break-away capability to facilitate rapid and/or unplanned disconnection of the fuel line without any fuel spillage in the event of potential equipment malfunction, potential vessel collision, or other unanticipated emergency. The system must also prevent fuel contamination. The FAS system shall be designed to optimize maintenance requirements and enhance safety, including ensuring access to equipment to facilitate safe and effective performance of maintenance actions. Safety considerations include human (human/system interface), toxic/hazardous materials and substances, production/manufacturing, and testing. Proposers should develop a solution that is Mobile Open Systems Approach (MOSA) compliant to allow for compatibility with future USVs. To ensure interoperability with planned and future USVs, solutions must also comply with PMS 406's Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA). UMAA establishes a standard for common interfaces and software reuse among the mission autonomy and the various vehicle controllers, payloads, and Command and Control (C2) services in the PMS 406 portfolio of unmanned system (UxS) vehicles. The UMAA common standard for Interface Control Documents (ICDs) mitigates the risk of unique autonomy solutions applicable to just a few vehicles allowing flexibility to incorporate vendor improvements as they are identified; affects cross-domain interoperability of UxS vehicles; and allows for open architecture (OA) modularity of autonomy solutions, control systems, C2, and payloads. UMAA standards and additional ICDs will be provided during the Phase I effort. PHASE I: Develop a concept design for an autonomous LUSV FAS system that meets the requirements in the Description. The concept design must define a system that can consistently operate within the established constraints and include any modeling and simulation, studies, or prototypes in support of concept risk reduction. Demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed concept through modeling, analysis, and concept demonstrations. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will deliver a preliminary design of the concept, identifying the baseline design (hardware, software, support systems) and underlying architectures to ensure that the concept has a reasonable expectation of satisfying the requirements. PHASE II: Develop and deliver a prototype system based on the requirements in the Description. The prototype systems will be evaluated at sea in both near-shore and open-ocean conditions. Identify the necessary interfaces, dependencies, and risks. After a successful Critical Design Review (CDR), the company will develop a prototype system. Testing and certification of the system will consist of simulation with a vessel of opportunity. The testing and certification of the overall performance of the system will consist of hardware-in-the-loop testing on a vessel of opportunity provided by the government. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Support the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use. Successful FAS systems will transition to the LUSV program and will be evaluated for transition to the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) program and other USV programs. Technology developed for Autonomous Fueling at Sea may also have applicability to other allied nations and commercial users. REFERENCES: 1. Navy Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures: Underway Replenishment (NTTP 4-01.4). Department of the Navy, Edition March 2009. 2. Galway, Robert. Autonomous Refueling of Unmanned Vehicles at Sea. Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, March 28, 2008. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA530597.pdf KEYWORDS: Fueling at Sea; FAS; Autonomous FAS System; Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle; MUSV; Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle; LUSV; Underway Replenishment; UNREP; autonomy; unmanned operations