Unmanned submarine hunter could revolutionise naval warfare

News

US defence research agency DARPA has completed trials of a prototype unmanned submarine hunter that it claims could lead to an entirely new class of military vessel.

Developed through the agency’s Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program the boat - christened Sea Hunter - is at the heart of efforts to develop a new type of unmanned surface vessel (USV) that would autonomously track enemy submarines over thousands of miles at a fraction of current costs.

The technology has undergone a series of tests in recent months to ensure that it complies with international regulations for preventing collisions at sea and also to evaluate its potential to carry out a range of different missions. For instance, in August 2017, the vessel conducted at-sea tests with a mine countermeasure (MCM) payload.

Back in 2016 Sea Hunter also had a successful joint test with DARPA’s Towed Airborne Lift of Naval Systems (TALONS) research effort, which is exploring the use of a towed parafoil to enable vessels to see over the horizon.

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