Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
SOTHOC Submarine-Launched UAV
Raytheon's SOTHOC - or Submarine Over the Horizon Organic Capabilities is a submarine-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Raytheon will test the system from a submerged U.S. Navy submarine sometime during early 2009.
(Sub-launched SOTHOC - or Submarine Over the Horizon Organic Capabilities)
As shown in the SOTHOC diagram in the above picture, the basic idea is to eject an SLV (submarine launch vehicle) containing the electrically-powered UAV from the submerged submarine's trash disposal unit.
The SLV is weighted to descend a safe distance away from the sub; once the predetermined depth is reached, it automatically jettisons the weight. A float collar is inflated; it pulses to control the rate of ascent to the surface. A water drogue provides stabilization and an attached vane aligns the device with the wind. The tube then pivots to a thirty-five degree angle and launches the UAV.
The design was tested last September at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center's shallow water test range at Narragansett Bay, R.I.; two SLVs were deployed at the surface.
"The vehicles descended to 80 feet reverted to positive buoyancy, floated to the surface, stabilized in variable sea states, aligned into the wind, and then launched an inert representative UAS at precise orientation and velocity," according to Raytheon.
The intent of the SOTHOC Submarine Over the Horizon Organic Capabilities UAV is to provide real-time situational awareness to submarines at significantly increased ranges. It is expected that SOTHOC will be able to operate in cooperation with other UAVs in the area.
Fans of the UFO television series produced in Britain in 1969/1970 may recall the Skydiver, a sea-launched flying machine.
(Skydiver at sea)
SOTHOC will be given another test in November; this involves a mature small UAV for the demonstration. control software into the submarine's BYG-1 combat system.
From Aviation Week.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 10/30/2008)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Surveillance ")
Chameleon Personalized Privacy Protection Mask
'...the Virtual Epiphantic Identity Lustre.' - Neal Stephenson, 2019.
Spherical Police Robot Rolls In China
'Rand could effectively be in several places at once...' - Niven and Pournelle, 1981.
Vietnam To Have Full Biometric Transparency
'inscriptions too small to be seen with the naked eye; microscopic data...' - Eric Frank Russell, 1939.
Simple Way To Defeat AI Face Recognition
'... designed to foil facial recognition systems.' - Neal Stephenson, 2019.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.'
Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...'
Does AI Provide A Way Forward For Talk Therapy
'And there in the next room by the sofa sat a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.'
