Systems and methods for autonomous selection and operation of combinations of stealth and performance capabilities of a multi-mode unmanned vehicle

An unmanned vehicle comprising:

• a vehicle body comprising a pair of substantially parallel sponsons;
• a propulsion system carried by the vehicle body;
• a maneuvering system carried by the vehicle body;
• a vehicle control system carried by the vehicle body to control at least one of a speed, an orientation, and a direction of travel of the unmanned vehicle in combination with the propulsion system and the maneuvering system, wherein the speed, the orientation, and the direction of travel of the unmanned vehicle are independently controllable by the vehicle control system;
• at least one mount point carried by the vehicle body;
• an interchangeable payload deck that is removably connected to a portion of the vehicle body via the at least one mount point;
• a power supply carried by the vehicle body;
• and
• a buoyancy control system carried by the vehicle body and to control buoyancy of the vehicle body, the buoyancy control system comprising ballast containers located within the vehicle body which define at least four quadrants of buoyancy.