Adaptable Boat Launch and Recovery System Navy SBIR FY2018.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2018.1 Topic No.: N181-056 Topic Title: Adaptable Boat Launch and Recovery System Proposal No.: N181-056-0487 Firm: Advanced Technology & Research Corp. 12301 Kiln Court Suite A Beltsville, Maryland 20705 Contact: Tom Zhao Phone: (443) 766-7978 Web Site: http://www.atrcorp.com Abstract: An innovative system called Adaptable Boat Deployment and Retrieval System (ABDRS) is proposed to safely handle a variety of current and future crafts and other assets from the boat bay of DDG 1000 class in seas up to sea state 5 conditions. It employs a tethered sled to interface the returning vehicle outside of the boat bay. The sled is purposely designed to be adaptable to different ship hull forms of manned/unmanned vehicles of about 40ft in length. A modular system can be mounted on the sled to deploy and retrieve different classes of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) from Man Portable, Light Weight, Heavy Weight, to Large if needed. Once the vehicle is secured on the sled, the sled will be pulled into the bay and then transported by a conveyor system installed at the bottom of the boat bay. The ABDRS is designed to be operated normally by three sailor Benefits: The Adaptable Boat Deployment and Retrieval System (ABDRS) presents many opportunities for commercialization. The common and adaptable DRS will be very beneficial to the DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class as well as other naval ships without a well deck, such as the LCS Freedom and Independence Classes. The conveyor design can also be used without a boat bay. A modular ramp can be used to replace the extendable ramp on the DDG 1000. Therefore, other ship platforms with a relative low freeboard, say about 15ft, can adopt the technology developed from this SBIR program. The DRS is also not limited to military applications. Deployment and retrieval is a key component for all boat and underwater vehicles, especially in elevated sea conditions. For example, offshore wind power companies need to deploy and retrieve small boats from a mothership when servicing large number of offshore wind turbines at wind farms. The system may also be useful for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief where L&R of small crafts are usually required. Return