Development of a highly-maneuverable unmanned underwater vehicle having an RF communication buoy

This paper presents an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) with high maneuverability to be controlled in strong tidal currents. A radio buoy is connected to the UUV with an intermediate cable, and a wireless RF modem is installed to communicate with a support vessel. This paper presents the design and development of the UUV and the buoy systems. The vehicle equips with two main thrusters and four vertical/ horizontal tunnel thrusters in the middle of the vehicle. This paper discusses the hydrodynamic characteristics of the multiple thrusters, and strategies to maneuver the UUV with multiple thruster. Finally this paper presents effectiveness of the UUV with the buoy in conducting a simulated object installation.