An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) could greatly enhance the capabilities of the United States Navy's submarines, but the issue has been how such small drones could be deployed from the boats while submerged. This month, the U.S. Navy announced that it was working on such a solution – it would employ the torpedo tubes.
The crew of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Delaware (SSN-791) conducted a launch and recovery of a REMUS medium UUV during an operation dubbed "Yellow Moray."
"The Yellow Moray system will provide the U.S. submarine force with additional mission capability, enhancing what the U.S. Navy's submarines can provide to our nation's unified combatant commands around the globe," Submarine Readiness Squadron 32 announced via a post to Facebook earlier this month, while it added that it was truly a team effort.
"The successful test of the Yellow Moray system would not been possible without the dedicated team members of the Oceanographic Systems Lab at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Naval Undersea Warfare Center (Code 45), American Systems, Commander, Submarine Forces Atlantics, UUVRON-1's Flotilla 1, HII – Unmanned Systems Group, the crews of the USS Indiana (SSN 789) and USS Oregon (SSN 793) who assisted with previous Yellow Moray testing. BRAVO ZULU!"
The U.S. Navy has been testing a variant of the REMUS 600 military/civilian UUV, but in the past, it was launched and recovered via dry deck shelter with assistance from divers. However, the number of subs in the U.S. Navy's fleet that can carry a dry deck shelter is limited, while the actual launch and recovery procedure can be operationally cumbersome.
Launching and recovering a drone from a torpedo tube would make it accessible across the fleet – and to any current U.S. Navy submarine in service. It wouldn't require the deployment of divers when it is launched. The biggest challenge is the recovery, which would seem to be a bit like threading a needle!
"While the submarine is moving, the UUV has to find that torpedo tube and drive in," top submarine warfare officer Rear. Adm. Doug Perry told USNI last year. "We expect in the very near future we will have that system operational."
As Naval News also reported, this recent test with the USS Delaware marks the second such demonstration involving submarines launching and recovering UUVs. A similar test, involving an L3Harris-produced UUV, was conducted by Submarine Force Pacific last week.
The two successful tests could pave the way for the U.S. Navy's effort to deploy a torpedo tube-launched and recovered medium UUV by next year.
Already in development is the Razorback, a torpedo-sized underwater drone that could extend the awareness of a submarine. The 600-pound UUV has required a dry deck shelter and divers to be launched and recovered, and that procedure has blunted the utility of the system, explained Submarine Force commander Vice Adm. Bill Houston said on last year's Naval Submarine League's annual symposium.
"The Medium UUV can go on any one of our submarines. That is a priority for us. We have no problem launching UUVs. That's easy. The recovery part has been the critical aspect," said Houston.
The REMUS 600 – which is shaped like a standard torpedo – is around 10.6 feet long, 12.75 inches in diameter, and weighs 530 pounds. The battery-powered UUV can operate down to depths of 600 feet and is capable of semi-autonomous operation along a pre-defined route, TheDrive reported.
The UUV has a stated endurance of 70 hours.
Based on the specs, the REMUS 600 is a bit shorter and narrower – not to mention significantly lighter – than the U.S. Navy's Mk 48 heavyweight torpedo. It would certainly be easy to be deployed, and while challenging to recover – certainly not impossible!
UUVs are already being employed in real-world operations, and the U.S. Navy used underwater drones to survey the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea following a September 2022 explosion.
According to Naval News, the Royal Swedish Navy's submarine flotilla is believed to be the only service in the world to field an operational system able to retrieve torpedo-shaped UUVs – and more importantly, bring them back inside the submarine via the torpedo tube. The Royal Swedish Navy has been employing the Saab-designed SubROV since 2019.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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