Offboard Launch and Recovery System and Method for Unmanned Platforms

A method to recover an object from a body of water, comprising:

• providing an L&R (Launch and Recovery) device configured with:
• a frame, wherein the frame includes a central region inside of its perimeter;
• one or more buoyancy elements attached to the frame;
• one or more thrusters to maneuver the L&R device;
• a computing device to control the L&R device's operations;
• and
• one or more sensors to gather data about the L&R device or its surrounding environment;
• maneuvering the L&R device to the object;
• aligning the frame with the object;
• and
• capturing the object from the body of water via a capturing system.

An L&R (Launch and Recovery) system to capture an object in a body of water, comprising:

• an L&R device, comprising:
• a frame, wherein the frame includes a central region inside of its perimeter;
• one or more thrusters to maneuver the L&R device;
• one or more sensors to gather data about the L&R device or its surrounding environment;
• and
• capture arms positioned adjacent to the central region;
• wherein the L&R system includes the steps of:
• deploying the L&R device from a platform;
• navigating the L&R device to the object;
• capturing the object;
• and
• retrieving the L&R device back onto the platform.