Design of an underwater mine detection system

Underwater mines are an effective method of blocking shipping lanes and restricting naval operations resulting in significant negative economic and environmental impacts. Current mine clearance processes used by the United States Navy can take up to 200 times the cost and time required to place the minefield. This asymmetry highlights a weakness in the Navy's ability to effectively deal with the threat of underwater mines. To create a scenario that satisfies stakeholders' interests, the Navy needs to improve the effectiveness of its mine clearance systems with reduced process time, increased probability of detection, and removal of the risk of injury or loss of life to the system operators. The authors analyze the benefits of the use of autonomous, unmanned vehicles to tow the sonar through the water compared with current manned systems. Autonomous vehicles can be less expensive to operate while providing the same or better performance and reduce the risk of operator fatalities. Two existing sonar alternatives and five different towing vehicles are considered. A computer model of the vehicle dynamics and fuel burn is used to simulate each design alternative as it goes through the process of detecting underwater mines in a prospective minefield (e.g. mouth of the Chesapeake Bay). The model includes several assumptions regarding the type of mines to be detected, total area being covered, and the type of mine clearing operation. Results indicate that underwater vehicle alternative uses the least amount of energy. Additionally, the Raytheon sonar requires more energy to be towed through the water than the Klein sonar for all vehicle alternatives. The total utility of each alternative is determined based on its performance with regard to safety, speed, fuel economy, and probability of detection. A utility versus cost analysis indicates the best alternative.