A U.S. Navy submarine has launched and retrieved an uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) from its torpedo tube for the first time.
As per a recent U.S. Navy press statement, USS Delaware, a Virginia-class attack submarine in the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) theatre of operations, achieved the new operational first last month.
The submarine was able to launch and recover a Yellow Moray UUV — a variant of HII’s REMUS 600 system — on three separate sorties each lasting between six and ten hours, without the need for divers to launch and recover the vehicle.
As per the U.S. Navy statement, “The successful completion of this mission demonstrates the feasibility of deploying robotic and autonomous systems from submarines, opening new possibilities for clandestine operations and battlespace preparation.”
Commander Submarine Forces, Vice Admiral Rob Gaucher, commented: “Delaware is just the beginning. We plan to continue to deploy submarines with robotic and autonomous system capability worldwide so we can give more options to our Combatant Commanders by enhancing the capability of our SSNs.”
He added: “This capability allows us to extend our reach with additional sensors at both shallower and deeper depths than a manned submarine can access. It reduces risk to the submarine by performing dull, dirty, and dangerous missions with the UUV, and the Yellow Moray system reduces risk to our divers since we can launch and recover via a torpedo tube.”
During the experiments conducted out of the Haakonsvern Naval Base in Norway, the team also carried out the first pierside diver torpedo tube load of the UUV.
“HII is proud to support this important milestone for the U.S. Navy in the future of undersea warfare,” said Chris Kastner, president and CEO of HII.
“Using HII’s REMUS for the first-ever forward deployed submarine torpedo tube launch and recovery is a testament to our partnership, and to the value of investing in innovation to meet the U.S. Navy’s urgent needs.”
- You can read more details on the U.S. Navy’s DVIDS site and the HII website
