UNMANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

Day One | Wednesday 8th May 2019

8.30 Registration & Coffee

8.50 Chairman’s Opening Remarks Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Anthony Rix, Former Flag Officer Sea Training, Royal Navy

HOST NATION KEYNOTE BRIEFINGS

9.00 Unmanned and Autonomous Systems and the Future of Royal Navy Capabilities and Power Projection• Evolving with the changing nature of naval warfare, addressing

complex new threats and developing effective technology and strategies to counter these threats

• Autonomy as a force multiplier: Extending the Royal Navy’s globalreach and operational capacity

• Integrating unmanned systems into the surface fleet, and increasingthe use of unmanned systems in traditional naval operations

• The role of autonomous systems in the carrier strike group, and thepotential for UAVs to revolutionise carrier operations

• Maintaining Royal Navy thought leadership in an increasinglyinformation and technology driven world

Commodore Mike Knott, Assistant Chief of Staff Maritime Capability, Royal Navy

9.40 Delivering the Next Generation of Royal Navy Assets to Enable Effective Operational Capability into the 21st Century• Future plans for robotic and autonomous development after the

Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior exercises• Identifying operational shortfalls in order to plan effectively for future

unmanned capabilities• Key trends in unmanned technology – considering the design,

functions and capabilities of autonomous systems to ensure they meet the mission demands of the future

• Maximising operational effectiveness by integrating unmannedsurface vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles, and UAV’s into one network

Commander Sean Trevethan, Fleet Robotics Officer, Royal Navy

10.20 Session Reserved for Gold Sponsor

11.00 Morning Coffee

UNMANNED ISR

11.30 Driving Royal Canadian Navy ISTAR Capabilities through Holistic New Unmanned and Autonomous Capabilities• Outlining the RCN’s plans for integrated unmanned and

autonomous ISTAR capabilities• Assessing unmanned requirements across the aerial, surface, and

underwater environments• Current and future platforms to provide greater domain awareness

in littoral and deep-water environments• Regulatory and operational challenges in developing autonomous

ISTAR capacity Commander Roman Antoniewicz, Director of Maritime Domain Awareness and C4ISR, Canadian Forces

12.10 An Update on the Transformation of German Naval ISR Capabilities Through Rotary Unmanned Aerial Systems in the Maritime Sphere• Meeting future requirements for the German Navy by embracing

unmanned systems• Establishing greater maritime domain awareness through

autonomous rotary wing ISR platforms• Acquiring effective modular rotary wing platforms, for multi-mission

purposes• Embedding electronic and infrared sensors into unmanned systems,

and benefitting from increased sensory fusion• Challenges in delivering unmanned capabilities, including payload

size challenges Commander Andreas Muller, Chief Planning Officer, Naval Air Arm, German Navy

12.50 Networking Lunch

S&T PERSPECTIVES ON SURFACE AND UNDERWATER AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS

1.50 Session Reserved for Sponsor

2.30 S&T Challenges and Opportunities in Transitioning Unmanned Maritime Systems to Naval Operations• Assessing the challenges in developing unmanned and autonomous

systems for use in naval operations• The need for agile design and testing by navies, researchers, and

industry alike in order to exploit unmanned systems• Research and development into emerging technologies for creating

truly autonomous systems• Opportunities for new autonomous systems to transform naval

operations, and future S&T priorities Dr. John R. Potter, Former Principal Strategic Development Officer, NATO CMRE

3.10 Self-Organising Robotic Networks for Ocean Monitoring • Building autonomous networks for ocean monitoring and data

gathering• Using networks to build greater domain awareness• Challenges in developing self-organising networks• Command and control implications Dr. Andrea Munafo, Senior Robotic Systems and Software Engineer, UK National Oceanography Centre

3.50 Afternoon Tea

UNDERWATER COMMUNICATIONS & AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS

4.20 SALSA: Utilising Unmanned Underwater Assets for Communication and Domain Awareness• The potential for greater communication and sensor fusion through

unmanned and autonomous underwater platforms• Assessing current and future sensor payloads available for

underwater assets, combining multiple sensors and communicationnodes

• Challenges in using underwater sensors to aide communication forsubmarines and other underwater vehicles

• Implications for anti-submarine warfare: enhancing underwaterdomain awareness for better surveillance and tracking

Mr Alexander Gabriëlse, Senior Scientist Underwater Technology, Defence Materiel Organisation

5.00 Closing Panel Discussion: Integrating Unmanned and Autonomous Systems into Traditional Naval Operations

Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Anthony Rix, Former Flag Officer Sea Training, Royal Navy

Commander Sean Trevethan, Fleet Robotics Officer, Royal Navy

Commander Roman Antoniewicz, Director of Maritime Domain Awareness and C4ISR, Canadian Forces

Commander Yvo Jaenen, Deputy Commander Belgian Navy MCM service and Operational Commander North Sea Unmanned MCM and Communications Trials 2016-2017, Belgian Navy

5.40 Chairman’s Closing Remarks and Close of Day One Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Anthony Rix, Former Flag Officer Sea Training, Royal Navy

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UNMANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

8.30 Registration & Coffee

8.50 Chairman’s Opening Remarks Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Anthony Rix, Former Flag Officer Sea Training, Royal Navy

OPENING KEYNOTE BRIEFINGS

9.00 Integrating Unmanned and Autonomous Systems for More Effective Hydrography in Support of Royal Navy Activities• The growing role of unmanned systems in hydrographic missions,

contributing geospatial data in support of RN operations• Leveraging unmanned surface vehicles and autonomous

underwater vehicles transform mapping, surveying, and other hydrographic activities

• Harnessing data and sensor fusion to aid ship navigation andincreasing RN operational effectiveness

Captain Gary Hesling, Captain HM/Hydrographer of the Navy, Royal Navy

9.40 Research and Development on Biomimetic Underwater Vehicles• Looking at new and future unmanned vehicles based on living

organisms, and their potential military use• Current national and combined projects aimed at producing

effective biomimetic unmanned vehicles (BUVs)• Enhancing propulsion and range through ‘biomimicking’• Increasing covert ISR capabilities through BUVs Captain Piotr Szymak, Director of Institute of Electrical Engineering and Automatics, Polish Naval Academy

10.20 Session Reserved for Sponsor

11.00 Morning Coffee

UNMANNED & AUTONOMOUS MCM AND ASW CAPABILITIES

11.30 Incorporating Emerging Unmanned Technologies to Meet US Navy Operational Demands • The role of PEO Unmanned and Small Combatants in shaping future

US Navy technologies and to be used in diverse environments• The future vision for unmanned capabilities for the US Navy, using

autonomous systems for greater ISR, anti-submarine warfare, hydrography, and kinetic weapon delivery

• Current programmes delivering unmanned platforms into servicesuch as the Knifefish UUV

• Developing effective Naval open systems architecture combiningmultiple platforms and systems

Head of International Programmes, PEO Unmanned & Small Combatants (Subject to Final Confirmation), US Navy

12.10 Session Reserved for Sponsor

12.50 Evolving Approaches to Belgian and Dutch Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Operations in the Age of Autonomy • How unmanned maritime systems are changing the traditional

conduct of MCM operations• Pairing autonomous and human operated systems for a hybrid

approach to MCM operations• Reducing threat to sailors and operators, enhancing safety whilst

increasing efficiency in mine hunting, sweeping and clearing• Cooperating with the Netherlands Navy to enhance current MCM

capacities• Belgian initiatives for Maritime Autonomous Systems for MCM under

the PESCO project Commander Yvo Jaenen, Deputy Commander Belgian Navy MCM service and Operational Commander North Sea Unmanned MCM and Communications Trials 2016-2017, Belgian Navy

1.30 Networking Lunch

VERIFICATION & VALIDATION OF UMS

2.30 Panel Discussion: Developing Unmanned and Autonomous Systems that Meet Naval Mission Requirements Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Anthony Rix, Former Flag Officer Sea Training, Royal Navy Captain Piotr Szymak, Director of Institute of Electrical Engineering and Automatics, Polish Naval Academy Senior Lieutenant (N) Mikko Viljainen, Senior Researcher, Finnish Naval Academy Dr. Andrea Munafo, Senior Robotic Systems and Software Engineer, National Oceanography Centre Dr. John R. Potter, Former Principal Strategic Development Officer, NATO CMRE

3.10 Verification and Validation of Unmanned Systems for Future Naval Operations• Current Finnish research projects aiming to further enhance

unmanned and autonomous capabilities

• Overcoming challenges in verification and validation for

autonomous systems for military operations

• Ensuring autonomous systems are fit for purpose in challenging

mission environments

• New engineering approaches to support multiple payloads suitable

for the mission requirements Senior Lieutenant (N) Mikko Viljainen, Senior Researcher, Finnish Naval Academy

3.50 Afternoon Tea

AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION SYSTEMS

4.20 Developments in Autonomous Navigation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles• Robotic vision-based navigation systems

• Leveraging multi-sensor fusion for more effective navigation

capabilities

• Challenges in developing effective navigation systems for

autonomous systems Professor Nabil Aouf, Unmanned Autonomous System Subject Matter Expert, City, University of London

TRAINING & SIMULATION FOR UNMANNED SYSTEMS

5.00 A Training and Simulation Perspective on Unmanned and Autonomous Systems in the Maritime Domain• Developing new training methods to ensure effective use of

unmanned systems in the maritime environment

• Preparing sailors to work with advanced autonomous systems in

traditional naval operations

• Leveraging unmanned systems to also enhance training methods

Mr. Andy Fawkes, Director, Thinke Company Ltd

5.40 Chairman’s Closing Remarks and Close of Day Two Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Anthony Rix, Former Flag Officer Sea Training, Royal Navy

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