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{{short description|Chinese work class remotely operated underwater vehicle}}
{{complex|date=September 2009}}
The '''8A4 class [[remotely operated underwater vehicle]] (ROUV)''' is a class of Chinese ROUV used to perform various underwater tasks ranging from oil platform service to salvage and rescue missions, and it is a member of a series of related ROUVs developed in [[People's Republic of China]]. Original order included two units, and it is rumored (yet to be confirmed) that more follow-on units were also ordered after the delivery of the original order.
The Chinese '''8A4 class ROUV''' is a [[remotely operated underwater vehicle]] (ROUV) used to perform various underwater tasks, ranging from oil platform service to salvage and rescue missions. The 8A4 is a member of a series of related ROUVs developed by the [[Shenyang Institute of Automation]] (SIA) in the [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC). The predecessor to the 8A4 was the RECON-IV, an improved version of the American RECON-III. The 8A4 itself is an upgraded version of the American AMETEK 2006, and the 7B8 is an improved version of the 8A4.<ref>[http://www.shtong.gov.cn/node2/node2245/node76988/node76993/node77007/node77103/userobject1ai96372.html 8A4 ROUV (in Chinese)]</ref>


==RECON-IV ROUV==
==History ==
The origin of 8A4 traces back to RECON-IV ROUV. Since the [[1980]]’s, China begun to operate ROUVs to support its offshore oil drill operations and salvage operations, such as [http://www.ise.bc.ca/hysub10.html Hysub 10 ROUVs] and [http://www.ise.bc.ca/hysub40.html Hysub 40 ROUVs] supplied by Canadian firm [http://www.ise.bc.ca/ International Submarine Engineering] in [[British Columbia]]. Hysub 40 ROUVs was deployed by [[Shanghai]] Salvage Bureau and proved its worth not only in oil drilling operations, but also in salvage and rescue missions. However, these foreign built ROUVs were simply too expensive to be adopted in significant numbers, and the salvage operational need of [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] (PLAN) could not be met. As a result, China decided to develop its own version of ROUVs with similar capability.
The 8A4's origins trace back to the RECON-IV ROUV. China has operated ROUVs to support its offshore oil and salvage operations since the 1980s, such as Hysub 10 ROUVs and Hysub 40 ROUVs supplied by the Canadian firm International Submarine Engineering in [[British Columbia]]. The [[Shanghai]] Salvage Bureau deployed Hysub 40 ROUVs and proved them to be a successful platform for offshore oil drilling, salvage, and rescue missions. However, foreign-built ROUVs were too expensive for wide adoption by the [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] (PLAN). As a result, China decided to develop its version of ROUVs with similar capabilities.


One of the first Chinese-built ROUVs was the RECON-IV ROUV, which was developed jointly by the [[Shenyang Institute of Automation]] of the [[Chinese Academy of Science]] and Perry Oceanographic (later purchased by [[Lockheed Martin]]) of [[Riviera Beach, Florida]].<ref name="rb1">{{cite book |author=Xu Guangrong |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7aUwEAAAQBAJ&q=%E9%87%91%E9%B1%BC%E6%B0%B4%E4%B8%8B%E9%81%A5%E6%8E%A7%E6%9C%BA%E5%99%A8%E4%BA%BA |title=Biographies of Academicians of Chinese Academy of Science, Biography of Jiang Xinsong |date=April 1, 2016 |publisher=[[Beijing]] Book Co. Inc. |isbn=9787516509999 |location=[[Beijing]] |pages=439 |language=Zh-hans}}</ref> The design was based on Perry Oceanography's RECON-III ROUV, and RECON-IV's development facilitated technology transfer between the two organizations.<ref name="rb1" />
One of the first ROUVs domestically built in China was RECON-IV ROUV, which is based on American RECON-III ROUV built by Perry Oceanographic (later purchased by [[Lockheed Martin]]) based in [[Riviera Beach, Florida]]. Based on the technology transfer, [http://www.sia.ac.cn/ Shenyang Institute of Automation](沈阳自动化所) of [[Chinese Academy of Science]] and Perry Oceanographic jointly developed RECON-IV ROUV, which was adopted by PLAN for salvage and rescue operations. However, like earlier ROUVs, RECON-IV is primarily designed for civilian operations and had its limitations in performing certain military operations, such as cutting through specialized steel used to build certain compartments of submarines that were stranded, and opening some valves on sinking vessels, thus a more capable follow-up was needed.


The RECON-IV ROUV was adopted by the People's Liberation Army Navy for salvage and rescue operations. However, like earlier ROUVs, the RECON-IV was primarily designed for civilian operations,<ref name="rb1" /> which limited military applications such as cutting through the specialized steel used in submarines, and opening valves on sinking vessels. The limitations of the civilian model and the needs of the People's Liberation Army Navy prompted a follow-up design.
⚫
==8A4 ROUV==
⚫
To develop a ROUV that meet the special need of military salvage and rescue operations that was not commercially available on the market, China organized a design team in the late [[1980]]’s including the 702nd Research Institute of [[China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation]] (CSIC), [http://heusei.hrbedu.edu.cn Shipbuilding Engineering Institute](船舶工程学院) of [[Harbin Engineering University]] (HEU), and [http://underwater.sjtu.edu.cn Institute of Underwater Engineering](水下工程研究所) of [[Shanghai Jiao Tong University]] (SHJTU), with a professor of SHJTU, Mr. Xu Huangnan (徐芑南), and the future deputy general designer of [[Explorer AUV]], and the future general designer of other Chinese unmanned underwater vehicles including [[Sea Dragon class ROUV]], [[CR class AUV]], and [[SJT class ROUV]], was named as the general designer of 8A4 ROUV. The goal was to develop a ROUV that is primarily used for military applications, while also capable of performing civilian tasks as the secondary mission.


⚫
==8A4==
To shorten the time needed, decision was made to develop a ROUV based on existing technology by first selecting a system available o the market with performance closest to the requirement, and then improving the commercially available system based on the experienced gained from RECON-IV ROUV developed earlier. AMETEK 2006, an American ROUV used to support offshore oil drilling operations, was selected because it was the one that met the requirement best, while also being the one China could purchase on the international market at the time. However, despite meeting Chinese requirements better than all of the rest available systems, it was far from getting close, so extensive improvement was needed. One of the major upgrades needed was the complete redesign and incorporation of two manipulators that were required to operate around half a dozen tools underwater. These manipulators were completed by the main subcontractor, [[Huazhong University of Science and Technology]] (HUST), and eventually won the 1st Place in CSIC Scientific and Technological Advancement Award in [[1996]].
⚫
In the late 1980s, China organized a design team to develop a ROUV that meets the needs of military salvage and rescue operations while also being able to perform civilian tasks. Team members included the 702nd Research Institute of the [[China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation]] (CSIC), the Shipbuilding Engineering Institute of [[Harbin Engineering University]] (HEU), and the Institute of Underwater Engineering of [[Shanghai Jiao Tong University]] (SHJTU). Xu Huangnan (徐芑南), a professor of SHJTU, was named as the general designer of the 8A4 ROUV. He would go on to be the deputy general designer of [[Explorer AUV]], as well as the general designer of other Chinese unmanned underwater vehicles, including [[Sea Dragon class ROUV]], [[Explorer AUV#CR-01 AUV|CR class AUV]], and [[SJT class ROUV]].


To shorten the development time, the team decided to select a ROUV system available on the market whose performance was closest to the requirements and then improve it based on experience developing the RECON-IV ROUV. The AMETEK 2006, an American ROUV used to support offshore oil drilling operations, met both of these criteria, so it was chosen as the basis for the new ROUV{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}. However, the AMETEK 2006 still required extensive improvements to meet the design team's goals.
The first 8A4 ROUV completed in the sea trials in [[1993]] and subsequently entered service. During its evaluation in trials, 84A ROUV successfully opened the submarine compartment constructed of special steel, a feat no other ROUV in Chinese inventory could achieve, and 8A4 was thus dubbed as the most capable salvage and rescue ROUV in Chinese service. 8A4 is capable of operating a depth up to 600 meters, with cruising radius up to 150 meters, and it was one of the first ROUV in Chinese inventory to incorporate a tether management system (TMS). In [[1996]], 8A4 ROUV won a 3rd Place in CSIC Scientific and Technological Advancement Award. Despite the success and awards received, 8A4 class ROUV is severely limited in its capability during actual deployment due to financial constraint: with the exception of the very first unit, all of the remaining 8A4 ROUVs have their TMS deleted due to the budget cuts, resulting in significant reduction in performance. For example, the maximum operational depth is reduced by more than a half. It would not be until the early 2010’s during the scheduled overhaul would the TMS be planned to be reintroduced to all 8A4 ROUVs to achieve their full capability.


One of the major upgrades was the redesign and incorporation of two manipulators that could operate around half a dozen tools.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ch.hust.edu.cn/xsky/news.asp?id=91 |title=Manipulators of the 8A4 ROUV (in Chinese) |access-date=2009-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707024612/http://ch.hust.edu.cn/xsky/news.asp?id=91 |archive-date=2011-07-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> These manipulators were completed by the main subcontractor, the [[Huazhong University of Science and Technology]] (HUST), and eventually won 1st Place in the Scientific and Technological Advancement Award of the [[China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation]] in 1996 {{citation needed|date=July 2022}}. It was also one of the first ROUVs in the Chinese inventory to have a Tether Management System (TMS).
⚫
==7B8 ROUV==
7B8 ROUV is a further development of 8A4 ROUV, and it is a Chinese transition from ROUV to [[Autonomous underwater vehicle]] (AUVs). Designed by [http://heusei.hrbedu.edu.cn Shipbuilding Engineering Institute](船舶工程学院) of [[Harbin Engineering University]] (HEU) based on the experience of 8A4 ROUV with Mr. Deng Sanrui (邓三瑞) as the general designer, 7B8 ROUV was first revealed to the Chinese public in [[Beijing]] during the National Science and Technology Exhibition of the [[People's Liberation Army]] at [[Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution]] in [[1995]] while still under development, and members of the [[Central Military Commission (People's Republic of China)|Central Military Commission]] headed by General [[Liu Huaqing]] was among those special guests.


The first 8A4 ROUV completed sea trials in 1993, operating at a depth of up to 600 meters, with a cruising radius of up to 150 meters. During its evaluation, the 8A4 ROUV successfully opened a submarine compartment constructed of special steel, a feat no other ROUV in the Chinese inventory could achieve {{citation needed|date=July 2022}}. It subsequently entered service, and the 8A4 was thus dubbed the most capable salvage and rescue ROUV in Chinese service. In 1996, the 8A4 ROUV won 3rd Place in the Scientific and Technological Advancement Award of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}.
7B8 ROUV is unique in that in comparison to other Chinese ROUVs, it can also operate independently as an AUVs in addition of being able to operated remotely via tether/cable like an ordinary ROUVs. 7B8 first completed its trials as a ROUV in the [[1990]]’s and in [[2000]], it completed AUV trials including autonomously searching underwater targets and autonomous underwater work, and subsequently entered service. When 7B8 is operated as an AUV, the maximum operating depth is less than when operating as a ROUV. Specifications:

⚫
*Length: 4.33 meter
Despite industry recognition and awards, the 8A4's deployment is limited due to financial constraints. Except for the first unit, all the remaining 8A4 ROUVs have had their TMS removed due to the budget cuts, resulting in a significant reduction in performance, such as reducing the maximum operational depth by more than half {{citation needed|date=July 2022}}. It was not until the early 2010s that TMS was planned to be reintroduced to all the 8A4 ROUVs to achieve their full capabilities.
⚫
*Width: 1.27 meter

⚫
*Height: 1.76 meter
==Dragon Pearl==
⚫
*Weight: 1.69 ton
Dragon Pearl (Long-Zhu, 龙珠)ROUV is a little known micro-ROUV designed specifically to work with the [[Jiaolong (submersible)|Jiaolong]], operated by the Jiaolong's crew.<ref name=dp1>{{cite web| url=http://www.sia.cn/xwzx/kydt/201407/t20140702_4146957.html | title=Dragon Pearl remotely operated vehicle|language=Zh-hans | date=July 2, 2014}}</ref><ref name=dp2>{{cite web| url=https://zqb.cyol.com/html/2014-07/10/nw.D110000zgqnb_20140710_5-03.htm | title=Dragon Pearl remotely operated underwater vehicle|language=Zh-hans | date=July 10, 2014}}</ref><ref name=dp3>{{cite web| url=https://news.sohu.com/20140710/n402030615.shtml | title=Dragon Pearl unmanned underwater vehicle|language=Zh-hans | date=July 10, 2014}}</ref><ref name=dp4>{{cite web| url=http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2014-06/26/content_2708302.htm | title=Dragon Pearl ROUV|language=Zh-hans | date=June 26, 2014}}</ref><ref name=dp5>{{cite web| url=https://www.cas.cn/xw/yxdt/201408/t20140814_4184833.shtml | title=Dragon Pearl ROV|language=Zh-hans | date=August 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name=dp6>{{cite web| url=https://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2014/8/301709.shtm | title=Dragon Pearl UUV|language=Zh-hans | date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> Therefore, the maximum operating depth of Dragon Pearl is equivalent to that of the Jiaolong.
*Operating depth: 100 meter (when operating as an [[Autonomous underwater vehicle|AUV]])

Specifications:<ref name="dp1" /><ref name="dp2" /><ref name="dp3" />
*Dimension: < 0.4 meters x 0.4 meters x 0.4 meters
*Weight: 40 kg
*Maximum operating depth: > 7000 meters

⚫
==Sea Crab==
Sea Crab (Hai-Xie, 海蟹 in Chinese) ROUV is an experimental ROUV developed from the experience gained from earlier ROUVs. Sea Crab is different from previous ROUVs in that it walks on six legs to walk on the [[sea floor]] as a [[bottom crawler]], rather than moving with propellers.<ref name=seacrab1>{{cite web| url=https://devp-service.oss-cn-beijing.aliyuncs.com/c1bef5bc349340ef8ae8faa19e39d47e/file_1568003932436.pdf | title=Sea Crab remotely operated underwater vehicle |language=Zh-hans | date=December 31, 2000}}</ref><ref name=seastar1>{{cite web| url=http://cmanim.com/xinwenzhongxin/xingyedongtai/833.html| title=Sea Star remotely operated vehicle| language=Zh-hans| date=October 18, 2021}}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Sea Crab was completed in 1984<ref name=seacrab1/> and served mainly as a [[proof of concept]] unit, which lead to the development of later bottom crawler such as Sea Star described below.

==Sea Pole==
{{Distinguish|Sea Pole-class bathyscaphe}}
Sea Pole (Hai-Ji, 海极) ROUV is a little-known [[remotely operated vehicle]] (ROV) developed from the 8A4 specifically for underwater explorations in polar regions. It has been successfully deployed since the second Chinese Arctic expedition in 2003.<ref name=seapole1>{{cite web| url=http://www.sia.cn/sq60/hyhg/sqwj/201809/t20180926_5098364.html| title=Sea Pole remotely operated vehicle| language=Zh-hans| date=September 26, 2018| access-date=March 30, 2022| archive-date=April 15, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415164414/http://www.sia.cn/sq60/hyhg/sqwj/201809/t20180926_5098364.html| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=seapole2>{{cite web| url=https://www.cas.cn/xw/zyxw/yw/200906/t20090629_1857903.shtml | title=Sea Pole remotely operated underwater vehicle|language=Zh-hans | date=June 29, 2009}}</ref><ref name=seapole3>{{cite web| url=https://mp.ofweek.com/im/a156714202247 | title=Sea Pole unmanned underwater vehicle|language=Zh-hans | date=October 13, 2021}}</ref><ref name=seapole4>{{cite web| url=http://www.news.cn/politics/2021-10/25/c_1127991139.htm | title=Sea Pole ROV |language=Zh-hans | date=October 25, 2021}}</ref><ref name=seapole5>{{cite web| url=http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2021/1025/c1004-32262694.html | title=Sea Pole ROUV|language=Zh-hans | date=October 25, 2021}}</ref><ref name=seapole6>{{cite web| url=https://www.sbirinfo.com/35/240176.html| title=Sea Pole UUV| language=Zh-hans| date=February 8, 2022}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Sea Star==
Based on experience gained from earlier Sea Crab bottom crawler, SIA jointly developed Sea Star (Hai-Xing, 海星) ROUV with Italian firm Sonsub.<ref name=seastar1/><ref name=seastar2>{{cite web| url=http://www.sia.cn/sq60/hyhg/sqwj/201810/t20181026_5150464.html | title=Sea Star remotely operated underwater vehicle|language=Zh-hans | date=October 26, 2018}}</ref><ref name=seastar4>{{cite book | author=He Yuqing & han Jianda|date=August 1, 2016|title=Theories and Practice of Robotics Technological Development Route|language=Zh-hans |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhUpEAAAQBAJ&q=%E6%B5%B7%E6%98%9F1000%E5%8F%B7%E6%B0%B4%E4%B8%8B%E6%9C%BA%E5%99%A8%E4%BA%BA|location=[[Beijing]] |publisher=[[Beijing]] Book Co. Inc.| pages=148|isbn=9787538198232}}</ref> Equipped with two [[manipulator (device)|manipulators]], Sea Star is a [[bottom crawler]] specifically designed for laying underwater cables on the [[seabed]].<ref name=seacrab1/><ref name=seastar1/><ref name=seastar2/><ref name=seastar3>{{cite web| url=http://www.sia.cas.cn/gjjl/jldt/201602/t20160229_4539044.html | title=Sea Star unmanned underwater vehicle|language=Zh-hans | date=July 15, 2013}}</ref><ref name=seastar4/>

Specifications:<ref name="seastar1" /><ref name="seastar4" />
*Weight: < 10 tons
*Maximum operation depth: 300 meters
*Maximum excavation depth: 1.5 meters
*Maximum cable laying speed: 500 meters per hour

==Sea Star 6000==
While they are grouped in the same family by their developer SIA and share many technologies, Sea Star 6000 is distinct from the original Sea Star in that it has a maximum depth of 6,000 meters and is designed for scientific research missions rather than commercial applications.<ref name=seastar6k1>{{cite web| url=http://www.synttc.ac.cn/m/kjcg_.aspx?id=11118| title=Sea Star 6000 remotely operated vehicle| language=Zh-hans| date=March 13, 2018}}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=seastar6k2>{{cite web| url=https://tech.sina.com.cn/d/v/2018-10-29/doc-ifxeuwws9089840.shtml | title=Sea Star 6000 remotely operated underwater vehicle|language=Zh-hans | date=October 29, 2018}}</ref><ref name=seastar6k3>{{cite web| url=http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2018-10/30/content_5335670.htm#1 | title=Sea Star 6000 unmanned underwater vehicle|language=Zh-hans | date=October 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name=seastar6k4>{{cite web| url=https://h5.drcnet.com.cn/docview.aspx?version=emerging&docid=5278444&leafid=18777&chnid=4797 | title=Sea Star 6000 ROUV|language=Zh-hans | date=October 29, 2018}}</ref><ref name=seastar6k6>{{cite web| url=https://news.mydrivers.com/1/600/600478.htm | title=Sea Star 6000 UUV|language=Zh-hans | date=October 29, 2018}}</ref>

Specifications:<ref name="seastar6k1" />
⚫
*Length: 2.9 meters
⚫
*Width: 2.1 meters
⚫
*Height: 2.6 meters
⚫
*Weight: 3.5 tons
*Power: 35 kW
*Maximum operating depth: 6000 meters
*Depth positioning accuracy: ± 2 meters
*Directional positioning accuracy: ± 2°


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
*[http://www.shtong.gov.cn/node2/node2245/node76988/node76993/node77007/node77103/userobject1ai96372.html 84A (in Chinese)]

*[http://ch.hust.edu.cn/xsky/news.asp?id=91 Manipulators of 8A4 ROUV (in Chinese)]
==External links==
* [http://www.ise.bc.ca/hysub10.html Hysub 10 ROUVs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823054758/http://www.ise.bc.ca/hysub10.html |date=2010-08-23 }} (Canada)
* [http://www.ise.bc.ca/hysub40.html Hysub 40 ROUVs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213162539/http://www.ise.bc.ca/hysub40.html |date=2009-12-13 }} (Canada)
* [http://www.ise.bc.ca/ International Submarine Engineering] (Canada)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110707013417/http://www.sia.ac.cn/en/ Shenyang Institute of Automation] (沈阳自动化所)
* [http://english.hrbeu.edu.cn Shipbuilding Engineering Institute] (船舶工程学院)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182550/http://www2.sjtu.edu.cn/newweb/english/admission/schools/15.htm Institute of Underwater Engineering] (水下工程研究所)

{{Underwater diving|divsup}}
{{Ship classes of the Chinese Navy|state=autocollapse}}


[[Category:Diving equipment]]
[[Category:Auxiliary ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy]]
[[Category:Unmanned vehicles]]
[[Category:Autonomous underwater vehicles]]
[[Category:Remotely operated underwater vehicles]]
[[Category:Unmanned underwater vehicles]]
[[Category:Robotic submarines]]
[[Category:Robotic submarines]]

Latest revision as of 16:47, 16 May 2024

The Chinese 8A4 class ROUV is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) used to perform various underwater tasks, ranging from oil platform service to salvage and rescue missions. The 8A4 is a member of a series of related ROUVs developed by the Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The predecessor to the 8A4 was the RECON-IV, an improved version of the American RECON-III. The 8A4 itself is an upgraded version of the American AMETEK 2006, and the 7B8 is an improved version of the 8A4.[1]

History

[edit]

The 8A4's origins trace back to the RECON-IV ROUV. China has operated ROUVs to support its offshore oil and salvage operations since the 1980s, such as Hysub 10 ROUVs and Hysub 40 ROUVs supplied by the Canadian firm International Submarine Engineering in British Columbia. The Shanghai Salvage Bureau deployed Hysub 40 ROUVs and proved them to be a successful platform for offshore oil drilling, salvage, and rescue missions. However, foreign-built ROUVs were too expensive for wide adoption by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). As a result, China decided to develop its version of ROUVs with similar capabilities.

One of the first Chinese-built ROUVs was the RECON-IV ROUV, which was developed jointly by the Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Science and Perry Oceanographic (later purchased by Lockheed Martin) of Riviera Beach, Florida.[2] The design was based on Perry Oceanography's RECON-III ROUV, and RECON-IV's development facilitated technology transfer between the two organizations.[2]

The RECON-IV ROUV was adopted by the People's Liberation Army Navy for salvage and rescue operations. However, like earlier ROUVs, the RECON-IV was primarily designed for civilian operations,[2] which limited military applications such as cutting through the specialized steel used in submarines, and opening valves on sinking vessels. The limitations of the civilian model and the needs of the People's Liberation Army Navy prompted a follow-up design.

8A4

[edit]

In the late 1980s, China organized a design team to develop a ROUV that meets the needs of military salvage and rescue operations while also being able to perform civilian tasks. Team members included the 702nd Research Institute of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), the Shipbuilding Engineering Institute of Harbin Engineering University (HEU), and the Institute of Underwater Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SHJTU). Xu Huangnan (徐芑南), a professor of SHJTU, was named as the general designer of the 8A4 ROUV. He would go on to be the deputy general designer of Explorer AUV, as well as the general designer of other Chinese unmanned underwater vehicles, including Sea Dragon class ROUV, CR class AUV, and SJT class ROUV.

To shorten the development time, the team decided to select a ROUV system available on the market whose performance was closest to the requirements and then improve it based on experience developing the RECON-IV ROUV. The AMETEK 2006, an American ROUV used to support offshore oil drilling operations, met both of these criteria, so it was chosen as the basis for the new ROUV[citation needed]. However, the AMETEK 2006 still required extensive improvements to meet the design team's goals.

One of the major upgrades was the redesign and incorporation of two manipulators that could operate around half a dozen tools.[3] These manipulators were completed by the main subcontractor, the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), and eventually won 1st Place in the Scientific and Technological Advancement Award of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation in 1996 [citation needed]. It was also one of the first ROUVs in the Chinese inventory to have a Tether Management System (TMS).

The first 8A4 ROUV completed sea trials in 1993, operating at a depth of up to 600 meters, with a cruising radius of up to 150 meters. During its evaluation, the 8A4 ROUV successfully opened a submarine compartment constructed of special steel, a feat no other ROUV in the Chinese inventory could achieve [citation needed]. It subsequently entered service, and the 8A4 was thus dubbed the most capable salvage and rescue ROUV in Chinese service. In 1996, the 8A4 ROUV won 3rd Place in the Scientific and Technological Advancement Award of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation[citation needed].

Despite industry recognition and awards, the 8A4's deployment is limited due to financial constraints. Except for the first unit, all the remaining 8A4 ROUVs have had their TMS removed due to the budget cuts, resulting in a significant reduction in performance, such as reducing the maximum operational depth by more than half [citation needed]. It was not until the early 2010s that TMS was planned to be reintroduced to all the 8A4 ROUVs to achieve their full capabilities.

Dragon Pearl

[edit]

Dragon Pearl (Long-Zhu, 龙珠)ROUV is a little known micro-ROUV designed specifically to work with the Jiaolong, operated by the Jiaolong's crew.[4][5][6][7][8][9] Therefore, the maximum operating depth of Dragon Pearl is equivalent to that of the Jiaolong.

Specifications:[4][5][6]

  • Dimension: < 0.4 meters x 0.4 meters x 0.4 meters
  • Weight: 40 kg
  • Maximum operating depth: > 7000 meters

Sea Crab

[edit]

Sea Crab (Hai-Xie, 海蟹 in Chinese) ROUV is an experimental ROUV developed from the experience gained from earlier ROUVs. Sea Crab is different from previous ROUVs in that it walks on six legs to walk on the sea floor as a bottom crawler, rather than moving with propellers.[10][11] Sea Crab was completed in 1984[10] and served mainly as a proof of concept unit, which lead to the development of later bottom crawler such as Sea Star described below.

Sea Pole

[edit]
Not to be confused with Sea Pole-class bathyscaphe.

Sea Pole (Hai-Ji, 海极) ROUV is a little-known remotely operated vehicle (ROV) developed from the 8A4 specifically for underwater explorations in polar regions. It has been successfully deployed since the second Chinese Arctic expedition in 2003.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

Sea Star

[edit]

Based on experience gained from earlier Sea Crab bottom crawler, SIA jointly developed Sea Star (Hai-Xing, 海星) ROUV with Italian firm Sonsub.[11][18][19] Equipped with two manipulators, Sea Star is a bottom crawler specifically designed for laying underwater cables on the seabed.[10][11][18][20][19]

Specifications:[11][19]

  • Weight: < 10 tons
  • Maximum operation depth: 300 meters
  • Maximum excavation depth: 1.5 meters
  • Maximum cable laying speed: 500 meters per hour

Sea Star 6000

[edit]

While they are grouped in the same family by their developer SIA and share many technologies, Sea Star 6000 is distinct from the original Sea Star in that it has a maximum depth of 6,000 meters and is designed for scientific research missions rather than commercial applications.[21][22][23][24][25]

Specifications:[21]

  • Length: 2.9 meters
  • Width: 2.1 meters
  • Height: 2.6 meters
  • Weight: 3.5 tons
  • Power: 35 kW
  • Maximum operating depth: 6000 meters
  • Depth positioning accuracy: ± 2 meters
  • Directional positioning accuracy: ± 2°

References

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  1. ^ 8A4 ROUV (in Chinese)
  2. ^ a b c Xu Guangrong (April 1, 2016). Biographies of Academicians of Chinese Academy of Science, Biography of Jiang Xinsong (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Beijing Book Co. Inc. p. 439. ISBN 9787516509999.
  3. ^ "Manipulators of the 8A4 ROUV (in Chinese)". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  4. ^ a b "Dragon Pearl remotely operated vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). July 2, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Dragon Pearl remotely operated underwater vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). July 10, 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Dragon Pearl unmanned underwater vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). July 10, 2014.
  7. ^ "Dragon Pearl ROUV" (in Simplified Chinese). June 26, 2014.
  8. ^ "Dragon Pearl ROV" (in Simplified Chinese). August 14, 2014.
  9. ^ "Dragon Pearl UUV" (in Simplified Chinese). August 21, 2014.
  10. ^ a b c "Sea Crab remotely operated underwater vehicle" (PDF) (in Simplified Chinese). December 31, 2000.
  11. ^ a b c d "Sea Star remotely operated vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). October 18, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Sea Pole remotely operated vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). September 26, 2018. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  13. ^ "Sea Pole remotely operated underwater vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). June 29, 2009.
  14. ^ "Sea Pole unmanned underwater vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). October 13, 2021.
  15. ^ "Sea Pole ROV" (in Simplified Chinese). October 25, 2021.
  16. ^ "Sea Pole ROUV" (in Simplified Chinese). October 25, 2021.
  17. ^ "Sea Pole UUV" (in Simplified Chinese). February 8, 2022.[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ a b "Sea Star remotely operated underwater vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). October 26, 2018.
  19. ^ a b c He Yuqing & han Jianda (August 1, 2016). Theories and Practice of Robotics Technological Development Route (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Beijing Book Co. Inc. p. 148. ISBN 9787538198232.
  20. ^ "Sea Star unmanned underwater vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). July 15, 2013.
  21. ^ a b "Sea Star 6000 remotely operated vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). March 13, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  22. ^ "Sea Star 6000 remotely operated underwater vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). October 29, 2018.
  23. ^ "Sea Star 6000 unmanned underwater vehicle" (in Simplified Chinese). October 30, 2018.
  24. ^ "Sea Star 6000 ROUV" (in Simplified Chinese). October 29, 2018.
  25. ^ "Sea Star 6000 UUV" (in Simplified Chinese). October 29, 2018.
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