Unmanned Systems Maritime Search and Rescue
IHS Markit/Kelvin Wong (2016). Model of Yunzhou-Tech's M75 High Speed Security Patrol
The unmanned surface vessel is a more recent advancement in unmanned technology. Most of the current USVs are used for military application. This is very similar if not identical to how unmanned aircraft started out. One USV that caught my eye is the M75 High Speed Security Patrol USV created by Zhuhai Yunzhou Intelligence Technology. This vessel is “designed for a range of missions including border protection, port security, and surveillance, the M75 features a reinforced glass fiber monohull that is clad in Kevlar ballistic fabric for improved resilience.” (Wong, 2017) The M75 has “a diesel-powered marine engine enables the vehicle to attain a top speed of 35 kt with a maximum operating range of 120 n miles or up to 4 hours of continuous operation.” (iHLS, 2017)
An example of proprioceptive sensors onboard the ship is a “…self-righting technology, which employs a gyroscope and a suite of environmental sensors around its hull to detect the vehicle's orientation, and dynamically channels ballast to recover the vehicle if it overturns during a mission.” (Wong, 2017) This is a fantastic capability for an unmanned vessel. This provides the ability to operate in rough waters without being concerned about the USV flipping over. One of the major setbacks for search and rescue for ocean operations is bad weather. This removes the risk to human life and allows for operations to continue. An example of a exteroceptive sensor on the vessel would be an EO/IR sensor and an acoustic detection system. These sensors would allow the vessel to look outside and view the environment around it. It will aid in search and rescue operations in the ocean. The acoustic detection system is one that is used on the ocean to find acoustic pingers that ships carry in case they sink or one that airliners carry in case they have a water landing.
A modification that I would add to this vessel to improve its maritime search capabilities is an autonomous capability to do its mission without an operator watching it. By allowing the vessel to operate on its own, it would be able to more efficiently run a search grid and look for its target. According to Amy Arbeit in her 2013 master’s thesis, the search patterns for an automated system can be run through an algorithm to create the most efficient search pattern for the system. I believe it would also give the ability to allow multiple vessels to work together to cross cue off each other to cover more search area during its operations. Another modification I would employ would be the ability for these vessels to cross cue with UAS overhead. By using a wide area maritime search system, the ScanEagle can look over a larger area of water approximately 80 times the coverage area as a standard EO/IR camera on a single aircraft. If we take a ScanEagle and have it searching in the air, we could have the boat cross cue off the findings of the UAS. This would allow for the ScanEagle to find the distressed crew, and allow the M75 to deliver aid to the crew to help them stay alive long enough for more appropriate platforms to reach them and render assistance.
Antunes (2016). ScanEagle Launching Over Water
One advantage to this system over a manned system would be the ability to look for distressed vessels in bad ocean conditions. The ability to self-right itself gives it the upper hand. “"While our USVs are equipped with collision-avoidance capabilities, this feature ensures that our vehicles remain operational even in the advent of a freak accident or a rogue wave," Zhang said, adding that the M75 is capable of operations in Sea State 4 conditions.” (Wong, 2017) By having a surface vessel with the ability to charge into bad sea conditions, it can continue the search for the distressed vessel. A manned platform would have to call off the search and wait for better conditions. This could lead to catastrophic consequences as the distressed crews may not be able to survive that long..
References
Antunes, J. (2016, December 14). ScanEagle Drone and ViDAR for Maritime Search and Rescue. Retrieved June 05, 2017, from http://www.expouav.com/news/latest/scaneagle-drone-vidar-maritime-search-rescue/
Arbeit, Amy C. (2013) “Adaptation and Automation of Search and Rescue Patterns with Implementation for an Operational Unmanned Aircraft System” masters’ thesis, University of Washington
IHLS. (2017, June 01). New Chinese Unmanned Patrol Surface Vehicles Unveiled. Retrieved June 06, 2017, from http://i-hls.com/archives/76861
Wong, K. (2017, May 18). IMDEX 2017: China's Yunzhou-Tech showcases latest USVs. Retrieved June 06, 2017, from http://www.janes.com/article/70540/imdex-2017-china-s-yunzhou-tech-showcases-latest-usvs