Beating Sea Mines at Their Own Game

“The reason the KATFISH can do so much more is that it is built as an autonomous underwater vehicle (UUV), capable of adjusting its own trim to compensate for stability-disturbing waves and other environmental issues. “It’s got the intelligence of an AUV but doesn’t have any internal batteries or propulsion system, which is why the KATFISH is towed from a surface vessel with a power and fiber optic cable connected to it,” said Shea. “Using the KATFISH’s autonomously-stabilized SAS, operators can view the sea floor in astoundingly fine detail. The images it captures can tell them if an object is a rock, a piece of manmade debris, or a mine; long before a diver has to check it out in person.”