Underwater gliders are traditionally deployed and recovered at sea via surface assets. However, the recent test set out a baseline for how to operate the system in an air-deployed role, Captain Oscar Rojas, commodore of the US Navy’s Task Force 52 (TF-52), told the Defence Leaders’ ‘Combined Naval Event 2023’ conference in Farnborough, UK on 23 May.
The capability was demonstrated by TF-52, which is responsible for delivering mine counter-measures (MCM) capability under US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) across the US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) in the Gulf and wider Middle East region. TF-52 conducts MCM operations in waters across this region, including in the sea lines of communication that dissect the Straits of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb Straits, and Suez Canal maritime choke points. TF-52 brings particular focus on transitioning to new MCM technologies, to further reduce the risk to shipping operating in the region.
The successful test of the new deployment method was conducted during the recent ‘International Maritime Exercise 2023’ (‘IMX 23’), which took place across the CENTCOM AOR between late February and mid-March: combined with the Naval Forces Europe-Africa ‘Cutlass Express’ exercise, ‘IMX 23’ involved 35 ships and more than 30 uncrewed and artificial intelligence systems. Several uncrewed systems were tested in different ways during the exercise. For the Slocum deployment demonstration, the US Navy and Teledyne received approval from US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIRSYSCOM) to test the capability for launching the glider from an MH-53, NAVCENT spokesperson Commander Timothy Hawkins told Naval News.
The concept development remains in its early stages, but the test launch showed promising results, said Cdr Hawkins.
Approval to conduct the test was generated relatively quickly too, in around 120 days, said Capt Rojas.
This timeframe encompassed the period from TF-52’s request to NAVAIRSYSCOM to approve the test, up to the time TF-52 received approval to test the concept of employment during the exercise, Cdr Hawkins explained.
In the test, the helicopter – flying ‘low and slow’ – deployed the glider via its ramp. Using the ramp and low airspeed would ensure the glider entered the water correctly, a Teledyne Technologies spokesperson told Naval News.
Slocum is a buoyancy glider autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that provides sub-surface observation capability by conducting sensing and measurement tasks in the water column, said Capt Rojas.
The glider brings two primary outputs that help shape the underwater sensing picture. First, a profiler measures key environmental metrics including water clarity, temperature, and salinity: through measuring these metrics, the glider can inform understanding of water conductivity and assessments of water column acoustic propagation. Second, an optical sensor provides monitoring of water particulate, which in turn enables more effective underwater mapping and profiling.
In this context, the glider provides a constant, long-endurance sensing capability to enhance understanding of the underwater environment. “It may have the ability to always be out there sensing, giving us the current information we need,” said Capt Rojas. The US Navy operates the Slocum glider under its Littoral Battlespace Sensing – Glider (LBS-G) programme, with more than 200 systems delivered to date
