Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) provide a tactical advantage in maritime operations, performing vital mission functions, including mine countermeasures, persistent surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and oceanography (terrain mapping). A system developer sought to equip a new generation of UUVs with a compact, efficient data storage solution capable of supporting extended missions, high-performance throughput, and data protection – all within the constraints of the underwater environment.
Unlike manned applications, UUVs can be deployed for days or weeks to continuously collect vital data and carry out mission operations. To optimize operational effectiveness, UUV developers must carefully consider SWaP limitations. The use of smaller and lighter onboard electronics enables a UUV to support missions that require greater durations and distance.
In this case, the UUV developer required a network attached storage (NAS) device capable of processing massive volumes of data without interruption to support the platform’s numerous onboard computers and sensors. To enable mission data to be easily loaded onto the UUV before the mission and allow sensor data to be taken off for post-mission analysis, the NAS would need removable storage. The critical data collected and stored on the UUV required agency-approved encryption, especially since UUVs have an elevated risk of loss due to accidents, environmental factors, and potential capture by adversaries.
