June 26, 2012
New sea and air delivery systems to enable direct support
to disaster zones from offshore container ships
During natural or man-made disasters, the U.S. armed forces’ rapidly
deployable airlift, sealift, communication, and medical evacuation and
care capabilities can supplement lead relief agencies in providing aid
to victims. The Department of Defense’s 2012 strategic guidance document
includes humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations as one
of the missions for 21
st Century defense.
DARPA’s
Tactically
Expandable Maritime Platform (TEMP) program has completed the
design of innovative technologies to transform commercial container
ships into self-contained floating supply bases during disaster relief
operations, without needing port infrastructure. The program envisions a
container ship anchoring offshore of a disaster area, and the ship’s
crew delivering supplies ashore using DARPA-developed, modular on-board
cranes and air- and sea-delivery vehicles.
“To allow military ships and aircraft to focus on unique military
missions they alone can fulfill, it makes sense to develop technologies
to leverage standard commercial container ships, used around the world
daily, as a surge capacity for extended humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief operations,” said
Scott
Littlefield, DARPA program manager.
DARPA recently completed the first phase of the program, which
developed four key modular systems, all of which are transportable using
standard 20-foot or 40-foot commercial shipping containers. The
elements include:
- Core support modules—container-sized units that provide electrical
power, berthing, water and other life-support requirements for an
augmented crew aboard the container ship.
- Motion-stabilized cranes—modular on-board cranes to allow transfer
of cargo containers at sea from the ship deck over the side and onto a
sea-delivery vehicle.
- Sea-delivery vehicles—Captive Air Amphibious Transporters (CAAT)
have air-filled pontoons on a tank tread-like design, enabling them to
carry containers over water and directly onto shore.
- Parafoil unmanned air-delivery system—a low-cost, propeller-driven
air vehicle that uses a parachute for lift and carries urgent supplies
from the container ship to stricken areas on shore.
While DARPA’s investment in demonstrating the technology has
completed, the information obtained should reduce risk for efforts of
the military Services or other government organizations with a
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission.
