Air-Droppable At-Sea In-Water Lifting System Navy SBIR FY2015.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2015.1 Topic No.: N151-061 Topic Title: Air-Droppable At-Sea In-Water Lifting System Proposal No.: N151-061-0745 Firm: Advanced Technology & Research Corp. 6650 Eli Whitney Drive, Suite 400 Columbia, Maryland 21046 Contact: Tom Zhao Phone: (443) 766-7978 Abstract: An innovative system called In-Water Container Lifting System (IWCLS) is proposed for lifting ISO shipping containers floating in the open ocean to the decks of Advanced Force Sea-Basings and other vessels of opportunity. It fills a gap in enabling technology for lift-on/lift-off heavy container transfer in high sea conditions up to sea state 4. The IWCLS is essentially a telescopic ramp based container launching and recovery system. The system is very compact and can be fit into an ISO twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) container. It meets all the US heavy-lift aircraft transport and airdrop parameters. The system is highly automated and can self-erect with support from a very minimal number of personnel and two small crafts. It carries its own power source that it can self-erect and then lift at least four containers. The telescopic ramp can accommodate vessels with different freeboard up to at least 10 meter. Benefits: Neither current nor state-of-the-art maritime heavy-lift system is able to safely lift a floating container to a adjacent vessel. The In-Water Container Lifting System (IWCLS), if successful, will fill a gap in enabling technology for lift-on/lift-off heavy container transfer in high sea conditions up to sea state 4. The new heavy-lift capability will enable the US Navy to conduct special operations - airdrop ISO shipping containers together with the IWCLS to the open ocean and the IWCLS will deliver the containers to the deck of a targeted vessel. The IWCLS can work with a number of vessels with freeboard up to at least 10 meters. It requires a minimal number of support personnel to carry out the lifting operation. In addition, the IWCLS is not limited to lifting floating containers. When fitted with a suitable lifting shelf, it can be used to lift various floating and submersible payloads or vehicles including manned and unmanned small boats and underwater vehicles (e.g., seal delivery vehicle (SDV) and remote multi-mission vehicle (RMMV)). Beyond the military, there is commercialization potential in the commercial sections like the offshore energy industries and also for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Return