Epaulard operational utilisation development of the unmanned untethered submersible systems

The 6 000 m depth EPAULARD now hade over 100 dives surveying 800 kilometers on the bottom gathering bathymetry and 200 000 sea bottom photographies. The system has been operated from five different ships ans used from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Further studies of the development of the concept include : - a preliminary choice in the tasks beetween what we call linear and stationary missions ; - a development of basic key technologies (acoustic communication, guidance).