The defence, commercial and scientific communities are all aware of the strategic importance that the oceans hold. Future underwater operations are under evaluation using autonomous ocean-ranging submersibles of the unmanned variety. Such vessels are commonly termed autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and the search for suitable power systems that are able to provide high reliability coupled with long underwater durations has intensified over the last decade. This paper presents a review of those power systems that are under consideration, design and development, mainly for the AUV application. No attempt is made by the authors to directly compare individual systems, as this can only be effectively undertaken once a well-defined vehicle and associated mission profile has been defined.
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