Undersea Weapons Program

What Is It?

The Undersea Weapons Program develops technologies for current and next-generation, offensive and defensive weapons capable of engaging submarines, surface ships and threat torpedoes. Science and technology efforts focus on increasing probability of kill and probability of counter-kill by improving sensor performance, engagement tactics, vehicle propulsion and warhead lethality. Technologies are also developed to enable reduction of total ownership cost and increase weapon load-out. New weapon and delivery concepts are assessed.

How Does It Work?

The Undersea Weapons Discovery and Invention (D&I) Program is divided into seven research components: countermeasures and counter-weapons, energy and propulsion, guidance and control, multidisciplinary systems design and optimization, supercavitating weapons, warheads, and university/laboratory initiative. Advanced technology development programs support technology transition for torpedo upgrades, reduced-size torpedoes and counter-weapons.

What Will It Accomplish?

The program enables next-generation undersea weapons and counter-weapons, offering the Navy greater tactical advantage for anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare scenarios.

Designated as a national naval responsibility, the development of next-generation undersea weapons has long been a responsibility of the Office of Naval Research (ONR). As such, ONR invests and maintains a robust basic and applied research program. The program’s seven D&I research components are: 

  • Countermeasures and counter-weapons: Acoustic and nonacoustic detection of undersea weapons, and technologies and techniques to de-stabilize and neutralize them
  • Energy and propulsion: Cost-reducing and environmentally friendly “gas and go” technologies and alternative fuels for torpedoes, air-independent energy and propulsion systems for unmanned undersea vehicles and next-generation undersea weapons
  • Guidance and control: Sensors, signal processing and algorithms for detecting, classifying and tracking targets. Supports the development of models and software standards for tactical-level modeling and simulation systems for undersea weapons and their delivery platforms
  • Multidisciplinary systems design and optimization: Provides the framework and design tools, including physics-based models and cost estimates, for undersea weapon design and optimization, and noise control and propulsion components
  • Supercavitating technologies: Aims to understand supercavitation physics and the control of supercavitating vehicles and projectiles. Supports the development of control devices and algorithms for vehicle stabilization, homing sensors and tactical algorithms
  • Warheads: Safety, arming and fuzing techniques and devices, torpedo vulnerability assessment models, models to simulate the effects of underwater explosions against naval structures, and new warhead constituents, configurations and blast control mechanisms
  • University/laboratory initiative: Promotes the education and training of engineers and scientists for careers in undersea weapon research and development by supporting graduate students and their academic advisors to perform collaborative research with Navy laboratories 

Research Opportunities:

• Operational assessment of weaponized unmanned undersea vehicles
• Modeling and simulation of weapon components and systems
• Design and optimization of weapon components
• Supercavitating technologies
• Advanced warheads

David Drumheller
(703) 696-4716
david.drumheller@navy.mil

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