The U.S. Navy will boost its clandestine reconnaissance capabilities against China with the deployment of its largest robot submarines within the next decade.
The autonomous submarine in question is called the "Snakehead LDUUV" (Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle). These robots will be assigned to the "Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron One" (UUV Squadron-1 or UUVRON 1), the Navy's first dedicated underwater drone unit, to conduct spy missions around the world.
UUVRON-1 will work alongside the USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), a Seawolf-class submarine that's been transformed into a "spy submarine," and the uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) of "Detachment Undersea Research and Development," a unit with a long history of covert activities. UUVRON-1 was stood-up in late 2017 and reached its full operational capability this year.
It's been working with two UUV prototypes from the Penn State Applied Research Lab almost similar in size to the Snakehead LDUUVs. This experience allows UUVRON-1 to develop launch and recovery procedures, enabling it to deploy the upcoming new Snakeheads immediately.
Over the weekend, the Navy released the final request for proposals (RFPs) for its Snakehead LDUUV Phase 2 program, the largest of its submarine-launched unmanned systems.
It's already building its first Snakehead under Phase 1. This pioneer robot will be delivered in 2021 to begin test and evaluation activities. The LDUUVs delivered under Phase 2 will be the first ones used operationally, however.
The RFP covers the design, development, and fabrication of two prototypes LDUUVs. The contract to build will be awarded to a single vendor, according to Naval Sea Systems Command. The award should be made by the fall.
The Navy describes Snakehead as a long-endurance, multi-mission UUV, deployed from submarines, with the capability to deploy reconfigurable payloads.
It said Snakehead "will provide guidance and control, navigation, autonomy, situational awareness, core communications, power distribution, energy and power, propulsion and maneuvering, other hotel functionality, and sensors in support of the Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPOE) mission."
The Snakeheads built under Phase 2 will integrate with submarines such as the USS Jimmy Carter outfitted with the Modernized Dry Dock Shelter (DDS) and the Payload Handling System (PHS).
Captain Robert Gaucher, chief of Submarine Development Squadron 5 or DEVRON 5 (mother unit of UUVRON 1), said the creation of UUVRON 1 showed the Navy's commitment to the future of unmanned systems and undersea combat.
"We actually have action plans on all the missions we are trying to achieve," said Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, former director of the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Capabilities Division of the Information Dominance unit, back in 2017.
He said these action plan "covers every spectrum," from military missions such as mine hunting and surveillance to humanitarian assistance and research roles.
