
Detection, Localization, Classification, and Remediation of Military Munitions Underwater
SERDP, Munitions Response Program Area
Updated October 28, 2021
Closed March 10, 2022
FY 2018-2024
The objective of this SERDP Exploratory Development Statement of Need (SON) was to develop technologies to detect, localize, classify, and remediate military munitions found at underwater sites. Capabilities were needed for a wide variety of aquatic environments such as ponds, lakes, rivers, estuaries, and coastal and open ocean areas. Munitions of interest ranged from small projectiles and mortars to large bombs, although proposals did not need to address the entire range of potential munitions with a single solution. Water depths up to 35 meters were of interest although there was a specific need for systems that could operate in depths less than 5 meters.
Proposals addressing any aspect of munitions response for underwater sites were considered, with particular interest in the topics listed below. Listed beneath each topic were the specific needs for that area of interest.
Wide Area and Detailed Survey Technologies:
- Quickly characterize and map the environments that may contain munitions,
- Detect targets in a cluttered background,
- Classify targets under complex conditions,
- Identify specific types of targets; especially in a cluttered environment,
- Localize targets to allow rapid and accurate return for removal/disposal,
- Use stratigraphic techniques to describe the geophysical conditions of live sites, and
- Detect, localize, and classify buried or proud underwater UXO that is in close proximity to buried or proud clutter or other UXO.
Machine Learning:
- Couple machine learning with traditional computational modeling and human decision- making with emphasis on physics-based models and use of supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, and/or active learning techniques for decision support. Techniques suitable for the following use cases are encouraged: labeled training sets are small, and false negatives have higher consequences than false positives.
Munition Burial and Mobility:
- Address development of predictive models and understanding of the physical process that are responsible for burial, migration, and re-emergence of UXO in underwater 2 environments. Of special interest are UXO behaviors during extreme hydrodynamic events and for those munitions that are buried. Validation (demonstrations) of predictive models of UXO behavior is also encouraged.
- Site manager interests and concerns must be addressed.
Biofouling and Corrosion of Munitions:
- Studies of the long term impact on optical and acoustic sensing systems are requested. Also of interest is the effect on munition burial and mobility behavior. Experts in the fields of corrosion and biofouling are encouraged to team with sensor developers to include the science of those phenomena.
Optical Sensors:
- Investigation of the quality of the point cloud in terms of having sufficient resolution to discern proud, partially buried, and fouled UXO from the surrounding environment is encouraged. The degradation of the point cloud should also be quantifiable/predictable based on turbidity, depth, wave action and any other factors that could degrade resolution. Post processing and point cloud manipulation requirements should be considered.
- Development of a holistic understanding optical capabilities, which includes cost and useability.
Harbor Dynamics and Activity Impact on Munitions:
- Active harbors are a unique environment that present challenges to UXO remediation; studies are sought that address munition dynamic behavior, areal and depth distribution of munitions; and the impact of harbor activity, e.g., prop wash and dredging.
Platforms and Sensors:
- Platforms that operate in the dynamic nearshore environments and to depths exceeding 30 meters are required; sensors capable of detecting and classifying individual munitions noted in the objectives above are critical.
Cost-Effective Recovery and Disposal:
- Technologies are needed to cost-effectively and safely recover and remediate munitions in the underwater environment. Current practices employing divers for manual retrieval of targets are dangerous and, oftentimes, prohibitively expensive. Proposals should focus on recovery in the shallow water environment, where munitions are likely to be encountered by the public (up to depths routinely accessed by recreational divers) and should address explosive safety issues. Cost-effective, safe, and environmentally acceptable remediation techniques are also needed for underwater items that cannot be moved due to explosive safety concerns and where blow-in-place operations underwater can significantly impact marine life.
Proposals submitted under this SON should have considered operation in a variety of conditions with regard to salinity, water depth, water turbidity, bottom characteristics, depth of burial, and clutter scenarios in a variety of marine, brackish, and freshwater environments. Proposals that addressed contamination of soils and water by munitions constituents were not within the scope of this SON.
Funded projects will appear below as project overviews are posted to the website.