By Daphne Bowen


The use of water vehicles that allow interaction both below and above the water line continues to be used by both learning institutions and governments for many reasons. Unmanned surface vessel is another name for autonomous surface vehicle and the two are often abbreviated as USV or ASV in that order. A crew is not needed to operate these water vehicles like the name suggests. They allow remote operation by an operator at the base station.

The use of USV began with them being deployed mostly by academic institutions for educational purposes. They were used to study life in the sea for better understanding of sea organisms that people know very little about. They included systems that captured data in various forms such as videos, audio, and pictures and then transmitted them directly to the base station.

If the vessels are used properly, they can capture crucial information that allows the study of certain aspects of sea creatures. Self-propulsion capability allows them to be navigated deep into the sea and then back. Their capabilities and assistance has played key role in the understanding of some of the phenomena that are currently known about the sea. Data is captured both on the water surface and below.

The vessel consists of a navigation system that allows for remote control by the operator at the base station. GPS system is deployed heavily in their navigation and without it, they can easily get lost at the sea. In comparison to manned vessels, these variants of water vessels are more resilient and reliable, which makes them more preferable for deep sea excursions.

The success experienced from the use of USVs in educational research attracted most militaries into developing and deploying them in combat mission. The fact that they eliminate any possibility of human casualties made them safer and more preferable for military operations. As such, many militaries around the world now develop and maintain several fleets of USVs in their navies. That has also led to improvements and modification of the design of the first generation USVs.

Enormous evolution has occurred in current-day vessels. Features and capabilities incorporated are so many and diverse that most governments have restricted them for military use alone. Popularity of ASVs continues to grow as possibilities of being capable to deliver higher payloads in comparison to other underwater and surface water vessels grows. They have also been determined to be effective at denying access to unauthorized vessels and at the same time thwarting anti-access measures that enemy troops may install.

Both defensive and offensive capabilities have been built into current-day USVs. Such capabilities give them a superior hand in anti-submarine and mine warfare missions. The base station of deployment has also evolved a lot. It is possible to deploy them from another water vessel, air, and land. Control can also be done from air, water, and land without impairing functionality.

Even with the many advantages, USVs are not developed or deployed by many navies around the world. Navies that increase them in substantial numbers are mostly from developed countries. The two major limiting factors are high expenses and a relatively short history, which makes less people to be well familiar with them.




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