Unmanned underwater vehicle

An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), comprising:

• a body having an outer profile;
• and
• a pair of thrusters for propelling and orienting the UUV, each thruster comprising:
• an inlet formed in the body that facilitates fluid being drawn into the UUV from outside the body,
• a duct in fluid communication with the inlet, the duct being adapted to direct the fluid along a flow path,
• a pump operable with the duct to increase the velocity of the fluid, and
• a nozzle in fluid communication with the duct to receive the fluid at the increased velocity, the nozzle being adapted to moveably redirect fluid out of the UUV, wherein the nozzle rotates about an axis substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the body, and
• wherein the nozzles are supported about opposite sides of the body to provide multi-axis control of the UUV while remaining within the outer profile of the body.

A method of controlling an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), comprising:

• obtaining a UUV including
• a body having an outer profile, and
• a propulsion system for propelling and orienting the UUV, the propulsion system having
• an inlet formed in the body that facilitates fluid being drawn into the UUV from outside the body,
• a duct in fluid communication with the inlet, the duct being adapted to direct the fluid along a flow path,
• a pump operable with the duct to increase the velocity of the fluid, and
• a nozzle in fluid communication with the duct to receive the fluid at the increased velocity, the nozzle being supported about a side of the body, and adapted to moveably redirect fluid out of the UUV, wherein the nozzle rotates about an axis substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the body, and
• wherein the propulsion system is configured to provide multi-axis control of the UUV while remaining within the outer profile of the body;
• and
• coordinating control of the propulsion system for multi-axis control of the UUV.