The CRACUNS wakes: APL team develop submersible UAV that stays on station before aerial mission

Developed at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland, CRACUNS - Corrosion Resistant Aerial Covert Unmanned Nautical System - is a submersible UAV that can be launched from a fixed position underwater, or from an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).

The system is capable of operating in the harsh littoral environment and its low cost makes it expendable, allowing for the use of large numbers of vehicles for high-risk scenarios.

A team from APL’s Force Projection Sector worked with fabrication experts in the lab’s Research and Exploratory Development Department to create CRACUNS.

“Engineers at APL have long worked on both navy submarine systems and autonomous UAVs,” said Jason Stipes of APL’s Sea Control Mission Area, project manager for CRACUNS. “In response to evolving sponsor challenges, we were inspired to develop a vehicle that could operate both underwater and in the air.”

According to APL, the most innovative feature of CRACUNS is that it can remain at and launch from a significant depth without needing structural metal parts or machined surfaces.