Conference Pillars

Technical and scientific papers exploring new ideas and innovations in submarine, ASW surface and air platforms, and MCM platform design are welcomed. Especially those that discuss:

• Energy storage and conversion
• Reducing crew numbers through automation or alternative manning
• Miniaturisation
• Improving survivability
• Reducing through life costs and improving value for money
• Impact of condition based maintenance on signatures, endurance, crew size and crew employment
• Improving adaptability
• Modular design and deployment of capability
• Escape and rescue systems
• Integration of on board and deployed capabilities

Papers are sought that reveal recently identified techniques and developments in MCM, surface ship, helicopter borne, MPA, and submarine based:

• Sensor Development
  • Sonar and Acoustic sensors
  • Non-acoustic and non-traditional undersea sensors and detection
• Sensor Processing
  • Signal processing
  • Post-detection processing and novel techniques for active and passive classification
  • Display processing
  • Tracking and sensor data fusion
  • Multi-sensor / multi-platform processing
• Novel techniques
  • Exploitation of Big Data
  • Artificial intelligence/ Machine Learning/ Deep Learning
• Man / machine teaming
  • Alternative for auto cueing/autodetection
• System performance modelling including
  • Work that explores better understanding of the ocean environment
  • Optimization for environmental conditions
  • Exploitation of modelling and simulation tools

Submarine, surface and air launched weapons designed to operate in the underwater environment are sought to support this conference stream. In addition, papers that highlight developments in the deployment of other payload systems such as torpedo countermeasures, unmanned systems or other innovative payload systems are welcomed. In particular papers that explore innovative developments are encouraged, especially those that address:

• Torpedoes incl. batteries and propulsion
• Proportional weapons (e.g. mini-torpedoes, deterrents)
• Underwater-to-surface (or air) weapons and surface-to-underwater weapons
• Torpedo countermeasures (hard-kill and soft-kill)

This stream is an expanding element in UDT, and technical papers on the design of unmanned, remotely piloted or autonomous systems are sought. The use of unmanned systems across the spectrum of applications in the underwater environment are sought for UDT 2020. In particular papers that discuss the following will be welcomed:

• Autonomy and automated decision support
• Energy storage and conversion
• Communication and networked operation of UUV/ AUV
• Underwater sensors for USV
• Improving Survivability
• Strengths and weaknesses of unmanned systems in underwater warfare
• Further development of unmanned vehicles in MCM
• Command and control of unmanned systems and their integration into operations
• Verification/validation of unmanned systems
• Teaming and exploitation of manned and unmanned systems
• Planning and Evaluation tools
• Autonomous systems and the moral dilemma

In addition to papers that explore evolving strategic and operational concepts of design and employment of submarine, ASW and MCM platforms, papers that address the following technical and operational issues are welcomed:

• Underwater Warfare in the information age
  • Networked operations in the submarine environment
  • Combat System design and integration
  • Data and information management issues including human factors considerations
  • Optimising user experience (UX) in complex data rich environments
  • Novel approaches to collective and team training
  • Decision support technologies such as machine learning and deep learning
  • Communications in the Undersea Environment
  • Managing the Air-Water Interface
  • Undersea networked connectivity
• Teamworking in the Underwater Environment
• Balance of investment in the underwater environment
  • Value for Money
  • Upgrade vs replacement programmes
• Policy constraints and freedoms for the employment of autonomous, robotic or AI based systems
• Reports on recent manoeuvres and trials
• Platform and system level reliability and resilience for military use
• Operating in confined and shallow waters
• Collaborative and cooperative technical and operational development
• Training

The exploitation of commercial technology into the undersea environment presents significant challenges & opportunities. The rapid growth in undersea commercial infrastructure provides a parallel to military development & may force the pace. Papers that address developments in the underwater environment that will have an impact on the demands and provision of defence and security capability are sought. In addition papers that discuss recent or proposed experiments with commercially available or novel technologies will be welcomed at UDT 2020.

• Read across from mass consumer technology
• Reports on experiments with commercial or novel technologies
• Reports on technology demonstrators
• Assessing users appetite for adopting new technologies
• Rapid acquisition processes

Note, this pillar is not allocated to specific session themes at UDT 2020, but is interspersed throughout the programme.