Remora, a new concept for AUVs in mine warfare

Requirements for AUVs' operation in mine warfare generally lead to two different specifications: one would ask for a long endurance and therefore large vehicle with high value sonars, navigation systems, obstacle avoidance system and additional environmental sensors. This AUV is designed for discrete survey of large areas and for automatic detection and classification of mine like objects. The other one would be for a very small and cheap vehicle (eventually expendable) dedicated to short identification or neutralization operations and with a low level of autonomy and navigation accuracy. A common solution is to design something in between but then adding the drawbacks of the two approaches. Another concept is to do the first operation with a large vehicle and then deploy a smaller one when the support vessel is getting closer. Time delay and risk are the main disadvantages in that case. The Remora concept is to use the large AUV for detection and classification and as the carrying vessel of the small one. Once a mine like object is detected and classified by the large AUV's sonar, the small AUV is then deployed for identification.