WASHINGTON-(IDB) : We know about unmanned drone
aircraft in the skies, but how about drone subs patrolling the oceans?
The United States Department of Defense is in the initial stages of
creating unmanned drone submarines that will navigate the oceans,
tracking and following enemy subs for months at a time.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is
responsible for developing new military technologies, started the
project because “the growing number of adversaries able to build and
operate quiet diesel electric submarines is a national security threat
that affects US and friendly naval operations around the world,”
according to a statement on the DARPA website.
Normally, anti-submarine warfare has been conducted by US Navy
captains at the helm of ships, but humans will never board these drones,
also known as a “Continuous Trail Autonomous Vessels,” according to
Discovery News.
The subs will be able to patrol the US coastline for up to 80 days at
a time covering thousands of kilometers using non-conventional sensor
technologies that “achieve robust continuous track of the quietest
submarine targets over their entire operating envelope,” DARPA stated on
its website.
The vessel’s main task will be to patrol the waters for enemy
submarines and then chase them away if located. The sub will also gather
information deemed necessary by the US government, which will then be
sent to US naval commanders up above on land, according to Discovery
News.
The only time humans are needed to operate the unarmed drones will be to navigate the robot subs through crowded harbors.
In August, DARPA awarded a $58 million contract to Science
Applications International Corporation (SAIC), which is now responsible
for designing, constructing and creating a prototype of the vessel.
Source : Rian
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