Knifefish (robot)

The robot is a derivative of the Bluefin-21, a civilian UUV designed by the Quincy, Massachusetts-based company Bluefin Robotics. In 2014, the Bluefin-21 gained widespread recognition after it was deployed to search the seafloor of the Indian Ocean for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27017928|title=Robotic sub to search for MH370|publisher=BBC|date=14 April 2014|accessdate=14 April 2014}}

The Knifefish is a torpedo-shaped robot {{convert|22|ft|m}} in length and {{convert|21|in|m}} in diameter, with an operational weight of {{convert|2000|lb|kg}}.[https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/knifefish-unmanned-undersea-vehicle-uuv/ Knifefish Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV)] - naval-technology.com, 13 January 2022 It is powered by a lithium-ion battery, which allows it to operate for up to 16 hours on pre-programmed search missions.{{cite web|url=http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/140679-us-navy-finally-starts-replacing-killer-dolphins-with-mine-hunting-knifefish-drones|title=US Navy finally starts replacing killer dolphins with mine-hunting Knifefish drones|publisher=ExtremeTech|date=21 November 2012|accessdate=26 November 2012}} It uses onboard synthetic aperture sonar to detect floating or buried naval mines, and can identify a wide variety of mines and mine-like objects using an onboard database and analytical computer. The Knifefish can then mark detected mines and record their locations in its database; the robot later uploads the data to its parent LCS, which destroys the mines. The Knifefish may be modified to transmit its data in real-time, if the Navy considers such a capability necessary after the robot's sea trials. Each LCS will be capable of operating two Knifefish UUVs, which will scan the seabed near the ship and reduce the risk of mine damage to the LCS itself.

The Navy is considering increasing the endurance of the Knifefish to take over minehunting in addition to searching for buried and high-clutter mines. Due to reliability issues with the Remote Multimission Vehicle (RMMV), only 10 will be upgraded and fielded in 2018. The Navy is also pursuing adding a towed sonar to the Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (CUSV) for fielding in 2020. For certain mine countermeasure missions, the Knifefish is superior to the RMMV, but it doesn't have the endurance to cover large minefields; if endurance can be enhanced, the MCM package would be simplified, as the sensor is embedded in the vehicle rather than towed, and the CUSV would only be used for minesweeping.[https://news.usni.org/2016/04/07/stackley-rmmv-cusv-knifefish-will-all-play-a-role-in-lcs-minehunting-not-a-competition Stackley: RMMV, CUSV, Knifefish Will All Play a Role in LCS Minehunting; Not a Competition] – News.USNI.org, 7 April 2016

By December 2012, the Navy had ordered eight Knifefish units, at a total cost of US$20 million. In April 2013, General Dynamics completed its critical design review of the Knifefish, and began developing software and hardware for the operational version of the robot.{{cite web|url=http://www.naval-technology.com/news/newsgd-completes-cdr-knifefish-uuv-us-navy|title=GD completes CDR of Knifefish UUV for US Navy|publisher=Naval-Technology.com|date= 9 April 2013|accessdate=13 June 2013}} The Knifefish was scheduled to begin sea trials in 2015, and to enter into active service in 2017, coinciding with the end of the Navy's Marine Mammal Program. Sea acceptance testings were completed off the coast of Massachusetts in 2018.{{cite news |url=https://news.usni.org/2018/06/05/navys-knifefish-unmanned-mine-hunter-passes-key-test |publisher=United States Naval Institute |title=Navy's Knifefish Unmanned Mine Hunter Passes Sea Acceptance Testing |first=Ben |last=Werner |date=5 June 2018 |quote=The Navy’s Knifefish unmanned undersea vehicle, a key component of the Littoral Combat Ship’s mine-hunting capability, successfully completed sea acceptance testing off the coast of Massachusetts.}} On 20 July 2020, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded General Dynamics roughly $13.5 million for ongoing engineering on the Knifefish.{{Cite web|title=Contracts for July 20, 2020|url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/2280473/|access-date=2020-08-06|website=U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE|language=en-US}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.bluefinrobotics.com/ Bluefin Robotics website]
• {{cite web|url=http://defensetech.org/2012/04/16/meet-the-navys-knifefish-mine-hunting-robot/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422171323/http://defensetech.org/2012/04/16/meet-the-navys-knifefish-mine-hunting-robot/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=22 April 2012|title=Meet the Navy's Knifefish Mine-Hunting Robot|publisher=DefenseTech.org|date=16 April 2012}}
• {{cite web|url=http://cimsec.org/survey-missions-unmanned-undersea-vehicles-publication-review/16670|title=A Survey of Missions For Unmanned Undersea Vehicles: Publication Review|publisher=Center for International Maritime Security|date=9 June 2015}}

{{General Dynamics Mission Systems}}

Category:Unmanned underwater vehicles

Category:Military robots

Category:Mine warfare countermeasures

Category:General Dynamics Mission Systems

Category:Equipment of the United States Navy

Category:Robots of the United States