Model-based conceptual design with Monterey Phoenix

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) present an opportunity to reduce risk for manned platforms in support of strategic objectives; however, in an era of shrinking budgets, how the Navy can quickly integrate these platforms remains an open question. This research explores using model-based conceptual design (MBCD) with Monterey Phoenix (MP) to expose hidden requirements and emergent behaviors in complex systems. To establish the context of this work, this article first uses open-source information on UUVs and missions to build a narrative vignette and system architecture. MP modeling then identifies paths to mission success and failure along with refining new concepts to boost the likelihood of mission success. This process demonstrates the capability to verify requirements and validate new concepts before expensive development. Coupled with user experience, this approach results in a more complete understanding of the system, including unconsidered outcomes. The methods described in this research are immediately applicable to UUVs and related unmanned systems. In addition, future work can generalize and apply these methods to a broad range of operational and process problems to capture, understand, and control the behavior of any system or process of interest.