CSSC unmanned vehicles

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CSSC unmanned vehicles (UUV)s are uncrewed vehicles developed in the People's Republic of China (PRC) by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), most of which are in service with various Chinese governmental agencies/departments, and government-owned enterprises.

Contents

Qilin ARV

History
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg PRC
Name Qilin
Namesake Qilin
Ordered1
Awarded1
Builder CSSC
Christened2021
Completed2021
Acquired2021
Commissioned2021
Maiden voyage2021
In service2021
StatusActive
Class overview
OperatorsNaval ensign of China.svg  People's Liberation Army Navy
Built2016-2021
In service2021 onward
In commission2021 onward
Planned1
Completed1
Active1
General characteristics
Type Bottom crawler
PropulsionElectrical (battery)
Sensors and
processing systems
Various
Electronic warfare
& decoys
None
ArmamentNone
ArmourNone
Aircraft carriedNone
Aviation facilitiesNone

Qilin ARV (Qi-Lin or 麒麟 in Chinese) is a type of very little known unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) built in the People's Republic of China (PRC) by the 719th Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] ARV stands for Autonomous Remotely-controlled Vehicle, meaning the UUV is capable of operating both as Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) or a Remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV), an idea pioneered by American Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), which built Nereus hybrid unmanned underwater vehicle, the first of its kind entering production.

The idea of having an hybrid UUV that can both operate in fully autonomous and in remotely controlled modes is due to the inherit shortcomings of both: When the UUV operates in greater depth, the tether cable would becoming heavy and limits the mobility of the UUV, so fully autonomous mode is preferred in such operations. However, when the UUV needs to operate inside a wreckage or other complex structure, and need make adjustment in real time, the cost would have become prohibitive because mission planning software must include all possible scenarios, which may not cover everything, so when there are plenty opportunities of unexpected would happen, it would be far more cost effective to deploy a ROUV so human operators can adjust accordingly to the situation arose. Designing an UUV that can be both would be far more cost effective than having separate AUVs and ROUVs because one UUV can do the job for both. After the successful fielding of 7B8, Arctic series, Hadal and Hadal 1 ARVs, China has also developed and fielded Qilin UUV. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Development of Qinlin ARV formally begun in 2016, and after approximately half a decade later, was completed in late 2021. In comparison to earlier Chinese ARVs, the electrically powered Qilin is unique in that not only it can operate as AUV and ROUV, it is also a bottom crawler, thus combines the advantage of AUV and ROUV with bottom crawler thanks to its four legs that enable it to travel on seabed when needed. The mechanical legs of Qilin are designed by Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and the finally assembly was at Sea King Electrical Co. (Hai-Wang Dian-Ji Gong-Si, 海王机电公司). [2] Qilin is designed to operating at a depth of a thousand meters. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Specification: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Sea Soar UUVs

Sea Soar (Hai-Xiang, 海翔) series UUVs belongs to a family of very little known underwater glider developed by the 702nd Research Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] that merged with CSSC in November 2019, and as of early 2020s, a total of three models of this series have been identified: [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Poseidon 100-1 AUV

Poseidon (Hai-Shen, 海神) series autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV)s belong to a very little known AUVs developed by CSIC [7] that merged with CSSC in November 2019, and the first model of this series is Poseidon 100-1. [17] [18] Specification: [17] [18]

Poseidon 100-2 AUV

Poseidon 2 is a development of earlier Poseidon 1, and is designed to operate at a depth of 100 meters. [17] [18] Specification: [17] [18]

Poseidon 300 AUV

Poseidon 3 has increased payload and greater operating depth than Poseidon 2, and is designed to operate at a depth of 300 meters. [17] [18] Specification: [17] [18]

Poseidon 6000 AUV

As of early 2020s, Poseidon 6000 is the largest member of the Poseidon series, and also the deepest diving model in the series, capable of operating at a depth of 6000 meters. [17] [18] Specification: [17] [18]

Sea Ray wave glider

Sea Ray (Hai-Yao. 海鳐) unmanned surface vehicle (USV) is a wave glider jointly developed by the Qingdao Pilot National Lab for Marine Science and Technology (青岛海洋科学与技术国家实验室) of CSSC, and the 710th Research Institute of CSSC, [19] [20] [21] [22] and the general designer is Mr. Wu Xiaotao (吴小涛). [19] Development begun in 2012, and became part of 863 Program in 2014, with the maiden voyage was completed on August 11, 2014, and the development was completed in 2017, [19] [20] [21] [22] with small scale production followed.

Sea Ray is consisted of three major subsystems: the unmanned surface hull with solar panel, underwater propulsion system, and the tether attaching the surface hull tether attaching the surface hull and underwater propulsion system. [20] [21] Sea Ray is currently used mainly for hydrometeorological, hydrographical, and oceanographic surveying tasks, [19] [20] [21] and is thus equipped with BeiDou navigational system, communication system, CTD, ADCP and various other sensors for such missions. [20] [21]

Sea Sentry wave glider

Sea Sentry (Hai-Shao-Bing, 海哨兵) USV is a small wave glider whose development is headed by Oceanic Dynamic Process and Climate Functionality Laboratory (海洋动力过程与气候功能实验室) of Qingdao Pilot National Lab for Marine Science and Technology (青岛海洋科学与技术国家实验室) of CSSC. [23] [24] [25] The general designer is Mr. Sun Xiu-Jun (孙秀军), [23] [24] and the project became part of 863 program in 2014, and was completed in 2017. [22] [23] [24] [25] Sea Sentry has been deployed in weather reconnaissance missions to monitor the progress of Typhoon Bailu, Lingling, Mitag, [23] [24] Hato, and Pakhar. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous underwater vehicle</span> Unmanned underwater vehicle with autonomous guidance system

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a robot that travels underwater without requiring continuous input from an operator. AUVs constitute part of a larger group of undersea systems known as unmanned underwater vehicles, a classification that includes non-autonomous remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) – controlled and powered from the surface by an operator/pilot via an umbilical or using remote control. In military applications an AUV is more often referred to as an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). Underwater gliders are a subclass of AUVs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwater glider</span> Type of autonomous underwater vehicle

An underwater glider is a type of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that employs variable-buoyancy propulsion instead of traditional propellers or thrusters. It employs variable buoyancy in a similar way to a profiling float, but unlike a float, which can move only up and down, an underwater glider is fitted with hydrofoils that allow it to glide forward while descending through the water. At a certain depth, the glider switches to positive buoyancy to climb back up and forward, and the cycle is then repeated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned underwater vehicle</span> Submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), sometimes known as underwater drones, are submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant. These vehicles may be divided into two categories: remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). ROUVs are remotely controlled by a human operator. AUVs are automated and operate independently of direct human input.

The Type 925 Dajiang with NATO reporting name Dajiang, or 大江 in Chinese, meaning Great River, is a type of naval auxiliary ship belonging to the People's Republic of China. Each ship is usually equipped with up to two Type 7103 DSRV class Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles (DSRVs). The ship is designed to replace the first People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) submarine tender PLANS Mount Tai, and the lead ship of the Dajiang class is the Changxingdao. The Type 925 is a submarine tender that can also be used as a submarine rescue ship, and hence, it is designated as a submarine support ship by Chinese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uncrewed vehicle</span> Type of vehicle

An uncrewed vehicle or unmanned vehicle is a vehicle without a person on board. Uncrewed vehicles can either be under telerobotic control—remote controlled or remote guided vehicles—or they can be autonomously controlled—autonomous vehicles—which are capable of sensing their environment and navigating on their own.

The Chinese 8A4 class ROUV is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) used to perform various underwater tasks, ranging from oil platform service to salvage and rescue missions. The 8A4 is a member of a series of related ROUVs developed by the Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The predecessor to the 8A4 was the RECON-IV, an improved version of the American RECON-III. The 8A4 itself is an upgraded version of the American AMETEK 2006, and the 7B8 is an improved version of the 8A4.

Sea Dragon-class remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) are a class of Chinese remotely operated vehicle (ROV) used to perform various underwater tasks such as oil platform service, salvage, and rescue missions. Following the successful development of the original Sea Dragon (海龙), a series of ROUVs based on it have been developed. The original model had a diving capability up to 3,500 meters, but subsequent models were designed to meet a variety of operating conditions.

The Goldfish class remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) is a class of light ROUV developed by the Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Science. It is in service with both the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and other civilian agencies of the People's Republic of China.

Explorer autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a Chinese AUV developed in the People's Republic of China (PRC),first entering service in November 1994. It should not be confused with another two Anglo-American AUVs that share the same name: the American Autonomous Benthic Explorer AUV (ABE) built by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the British Columbia-based International Submarine Engineeringbuilt Canadian Explorer AUV, which is based on its earlier ARCS AUV.Many Chinese AUVs later developed, such as Wukong, WZODA, CR series, Exploration series, Micro Dragon series, Sea Whale series, Submerged Dragon series AUVs, are all based on experienced gained from Explorer AUV.

SJT-class ROUVs are a series of Chinese remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) jointly developed by the Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Science and the Institute of Underwater Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SHJTU). The general designer of the SJT-class of ROUVs is Zhu Jimao (朱继懋), a professor at SHJTU, who also was the general designer of the earlier Type 7103 DSRV. Many more ROUVs have been developed after the SJT series, based on experience gained from this series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">REMUS (vehicle)</span> Autonomous underwater vehicle series

The REMUS series are autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) made by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and designed by their Oceanographic Systems Lab (OSL). More recently REMUS vehicles have been manufactured by the spinoff company Hydroid Inc, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime. Hydroid was acquired by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HHI) in March 2020. The series are designed to be low cost, they have shared control software and electronic subsystems and can be operated from a laptop computer. They are used by civilians for seafloor mapping, underwater surveying, and search and recovery as well as by several navies for mine countermeasures missions.

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HSU-001 is a class of Chinese unmanned underwater vehicle.

An underwater vehicle is any member of the class of vehicles that is intended to operate in the underwater environment. This article lists the types of underwater vehicle, with a brief description of each type. An underwater vehicle can be crewed, remotely operated or autonomous, and will generally, but not necessarily, have some form of onboard propulsion system.

CAS benthic landers (BL)s are a series of very little known unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV)s developed by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in the People's Republic of China (PRC). As of the early 2020s, a total of five have been identified.

Hadal 1 ARV is a type of very little known unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) built in the People's Republic of China (PRC). ARV stands for Autonomous Remotely-controlled Vehicle, an idea pioneered in China by Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and SIA is also the developer of Hadal 1 ARV, and its predecessor Hadal ARV, as well as Arctic ARV, the predecessor of Hadal ARV. Hadal 1 and its predecessor Hadal, and earlier Arctic series ARVs are the Chinese counterparts of Nereus hybrid unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), because just like Nereus hybrid UUV, these ARVs can operate both as a AUV or a ROUV. The general designer of Hadal 1 ARV is Mr. Tang Yuan-Gui (唐元贵).

Hadal ARV is a type of very little known unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) built in the People's Republic of China (PRC). ARV stands for Autonomous Remotely-controlled Vehicle, an idea pioneered in China by Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and SIA is also the developer of Hadal ARV and its predecessor Arctic ARV, as well as Hadal 1 ARV, the successor of Hadal ARV. Hadal and its predecessor Arctic series ARVs are the Chinese counterparts of Nereus hybrid unmanned underwater vehicle, because just like Nereus hybrid UUV, these ARVs can operate both as an AUV or a ROUV.

Discovery remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) is a type of very little known unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) originally built in Great Britain by British firm Specialist Machine Development (SMD) Limited for the People's Republic of China (PRC). and the British firm was later purchased by CSR Corporation Limited in April 2015.

XTDT unmanned vehicles are uncrewed vehicles developed in the People's Republic of China (PRC) by Xi'an Tianhe Defense Technology Co. Ltd., most of which are in service with various Chinese governmental agencies/departments, and government-owned enterprises, as well as Chinese military.

PWT unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV)s are uncrewed vehicles developed in the People's Republic of China (PRC) by PWT in Wuhan, most of which are in service with various Chinese governmental agencies/departments, and government-owned enterprises.

References

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