Diving and Life-Support Systems

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division (NSWC PCD), located in Panama City, Florida, is the recognized expert in diving and life-support systems research, development, test, and evaluation; acquisition support; and in-service engineering. The center's Diving and Life-Support Systems division provides full-scale development, production, and fleet support of both underwater and surface life-support equipment and systems. The division provides direct support to the military in all aspects of diving and life support, ranging from special operations and deep salvage to routine hull maintenance.

ARINC assists the division's efforts in a wide range of diving and life-support systems development and testing. With hands-on experience in diving, Navy special warfare, maritime special operations, and submarine operations, our scientists and engineers offer unparalleled technical capability in areas such as:

• Carbon dioxide absorption
• Decompression techniques and applications
• Diving physiology, procedures, and operations
• Diver navigation, tracking, and tools
• Manned and unmanned hyperbaric systems development and testing
• Equipment nondestructive testing
• Thermal protection
• Underwater and contaminated atmosphere breathing equipment

For example, we've developed risk guidelines for decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity, assembled worldwide data on controlled exposures to gas absorption, consolidated and analyzed this data using advanced mathematical modeling, and helped the Naval Experimental Dive Unit to access, calibrate, and apply probabilistic models to refine the world's dive tables.

In addition, ARINC provides systems and specialty engineering support for an array of diving and life-support systems, including the SEAL delivery vehicle, MK 25 Mod 2 closed-circuit underwater breathing apparatus, self-contained breathing apparatus, oxygen breathing apparatus, and Atmospheric Dive System 2000. Our services include cost and schedule evaluation; funds tracking; logistics resources; funding summary development; failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis; safety analysis; and standard operating procedures development.

Photograph from the United States Navy.