Captive Air Amphibious Transporter (CAAT)

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has been developing an amphibious vehicle to aid in disaster relief, shuttling standard cargo containers to and fro from shore to commercial shipping.

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 21st 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.

www.darpa.mil...

The vision is to enable humanitarian assistance and disaster relief over broad coastal areas without dependence on local infrastructure, using unmodified commercial containerships, thus freeing military ships to carry out other military missions.

www.darpa.mil...(TEMP).aspx


They've built a four ton sub-scale demonstrator (1:5) of a tracked vehicle for this purpose. It moves over water at a pretty impressive clip for an amphibious craft.



It seems reasonable to believe that there could be a more purely military application for such a technology as well, but for the time being it is developed to free up resources during natural disasters.

These date back to 2006-2007, but show a more purely military application.

defense-update.com...

General Dynamics PDF:
www.navatekltd.com...


Interestingly enough, it's from General Dynamics Robotics Systems and in this seabasing form the CAATs are intended to be unmanned!

Very cool stuff, kind of antiquated though.

reply to post by teachtaire


In what sense?

reply to post by _Del_


Basically, for a college program affiliated and funded by NASA, I had sketched up a more efficient version of this that was also submersible.

I wasn't allowed to prototype it; either because my professor didn't agree with the military or because it is already being developed.

or maybe he just stole the idea to secure further grants. I doubt that...

reply to post by _Del_


It looks like there are at least 3 different versions being depicted in the video. In the beginning, the driver is inside of a somewhat enclosed cab and the exhaust stack is located just forward of center on the vehicle. Later on, the driver cab is gone, or at least there is no roof over the driver and even later still you will notice that the exhaust stack in located much farther to the stern.

Furthermore, I don't see an area on the vehicle big enough to carry a shipping container. Is it designed to tow the containers to shore on barges or what? From what I saw, I think I'd describe it as an amphibious dozer or tow-truck.

Either way, it is without a doubt, an impressive vehicle.

Thanks for sharing, F&S for the OP

reply to post by Flatfish


It's just a proof of concept vehicle. The General Dynamics pdf shows one large enough to carry two M1A1's. That's several containers worth of load (both by size and weight). I saw a wharf constructed of floating (presumably empty) containers in another study to form a temporary harbor. Relatively impressive stuff.