F-22Raptor
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The U.S. Navy’s Boeing Orca underwater drone could play an offensive role in future conflicts. Writing in the highly regarded U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) blog, retired Commander Brian Dulla argues that the U.S. Navy should reinvest in mine laying capabilities. It’s an arena where large drones like the Orca could have advantages as mine layers.
Mine warfare feels neglected in the popular defense media. It may be perceived as old fashioned, slow or uninteresting. The reality can be quite different. Put yourself in the mind of a captain whose ship has just strayed into a minefield. Or the EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) diver sent to defuse the mines. Even low tech or vintage mines pose a very real threat to modern navies.
Commander Dulla’s mine proposal is innovative. Yet like many good ideas it will seem obvious when you read it. He combines the range, autonomy and flexibility of a UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) with the warhead of a mine. This allows it to be used as a moored mine which can propel itself into position, keeping the launch platform far from harms way. It could also be used as an extra slow torpedo to target ships in harbor. Because of its combined features Dulla terms this concept the ‘moor-pedo’.
At the same time, underwater drones are a hot topic for the Navy. It’s a natural pairing because mine laying is dangerous to perform, especially in the enemy’s back yard. Aircraft, ships or submarines are put in harm’s way and distracted from their primary purposes. Crewless platforms mitigate some of the inherent risks involved.
Although unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) have become a common sight on the battlefield, development has been slower in the undersea domain. And until now the majority of UUVs used by navies have been very small. To lay a minefield a UUV would have to be much larger, large enough to carry a useful number of mines.
Not surprisingly the U.S. is the first sea power to start building extra-large unmanned underwater vehicles (XLUUVs). But other navies are also entering the arena, including Britain and Japan. And China, Russia, and South Korea also have large UUV projects.
Dulla proposes that the Navy’s large-displacement drones (LDUUV) could be employed. The Orca design will be even larger and therefore could patrol further and could carry more. The Orca is up to 85 feet long, an order of magnitude larger than anything else out there as the moment. It has a flexible payload section which is large enough to carry multiple torpedo sized payloads. Initially these could be smaller UUVs. In the future they could be Tomahawk cruise missiles, or as the USNI article implies, mines.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutt...rca-drone-submarine-could-get-offensive-role/
Mine warfare feels neglected in the popular defense media. It may be perceived as old fashioned, slow or uninteresting. The reality can be quite different. Put yourself in the mind of a captain whose ship has just strayed into a minefield. Or the EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) diver sent to defuse the mines. Even low tech or vintage mines pose a very real threat to modern navies.
Commander Dulla’s mine proposal is innovative. Yet like many good ideas it will seem obvious when you read it. He combines the range, autonomy and flexibility of a UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) with the warhead of a mine. This allows it to be used as a moored mine which can propel itself into position, keeping the launch platform far from harms way. It could also be used as an extra slow torpedo to target ships in harbor. Because of its combined features Dulla terms this concept the ‘moor-pedo’.
At the same time, underwater drones are a hot topic for the Navy. It’s a natural pairing because mine laying is dangerous to perform, especially in the enemy’s back yard. Aircraft, ships or submarines are put in harm’s way and distracted from their primary purposes. Crewless platforms mitigate some of the inherent risks involved.
Although unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) have become a common sight on the battlefield, development has been slower in the undersea domain. And until now the majority of UUVs used by navies have been very small. To lay a minefield a UUV would have to be much larger, large enough to carry a useful number of mines.
Not surprisingly the U.S. is the first sea power to start building extra-large unmanned underwater vehicles (XLUUVs). But other navies are also entering the arena, including Britain and Japan. And China, Russia, and South Korea also have large UUV projects.
Dulla proposes that the Navy’s large-displacement drones (LDUUV) could be employed. The Orca design will be even larger and therefore could patrol further and could carry more. The Orca is up to 85 feet long, an order of magnitude larger than anything else out there as the moment. It has a flexible payload section which is large enough to carry multiple torpedo sized payloads. Initially these could be smaller UUVs. In the future they could be Tomahawk cruise missiles, or as the USNI article implies, mines.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutt...rca-drone-submarine-could-get-offensive-role/
