US Navy Launches Drone From Submerged Submarine

Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "MarineLink reports that a fuel cell-powered, unmanned aerial system (UAS) aircraft has been successfully launched from the submerged 'USS Providence' (SSN 719). The drone flew a several-hour mission demonstrating live video capabilities streamed back to the submarine, offering a pathway to providing mission critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to the U.S. Navy's submarine force. 'Developing disruptive technologies and quickly getting them into the hands of our sailors is what our SwampWorks program is all about,' says Craig A. Hughes, Acting Director of Innovation at the Office of Naval Research. 'This demonstration really underpins ONR's dedication and ability to address emerging fleet priorities.' The XFC UAS — eXperimental Fuel Cell Unmanned Aerial System — was fired from the submarine's torpedo tube using a 'Sea Robin' launch vehicle system designed to fit within an empty Tomahawk launch canister (TLC) used for launching Tomahawk cruise missiles already familiar to submarine sailors. Once deployed from the TLC, the Sea Robin launch vehicle with integrated XFC rose to the ocean surface, where it appeared as a spar buoy. Upon command of Providence's Commanding Officer, the XFC then vertically launched from Sea Robin and flew a successful mission."

Comments

Fuel cell based

[i kan reed]

Somehow military hardware manages to be less destructive than civilian.

Re:Fuel cell based

[silas_moeckel]

Well money is not an issue but reliability, longevity, and speed of refueling are all requirements.

"Expendable"?

[cmuld3r]

I'd be more impressed if it were reusable. What happens to the buoy and the toy plane once it's done flying?

Re:"Expendable"?

[Anonymous Coward]

Amazon buys them

Re:"Expendable"?

[kwiecmmm]

before landing at the Naval Sea Systems Command Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC)

The drone then landed at a site. It seems like they didn't throw away the drone here, the buoy could have been pulled back in (I am guessing it was tethered).

I have other questions about the usefulness of this:
1. What is the range of the drone? Could it fly halfway across an ocean to find a landing spot?
2. Are these drones going to be able to do attacks? If so this could be a dangerous first strike vehicle controlled from halfway around the world, where folks have limited or no knowledge of what is happening on the ground.
3. How many drones can subs hold? If it is only a few then it can only do a limited number of surveillance (or attack) operations before it needs to dock or surface to get another drone, which would most likely take it out of the areas that need to be monitored.

Re:"Expendable"?

[HtR]

I believe they tried to make it reusable, but they had some technical glitches in getting the plane to fly back into the torpedo tube.

Well, at least I thought I was funny.

Re:"Expendable"?

[Dorianny]

The point of it is to be able to launch it without giving away your location to an enemy by surfacing. Once its mission is concluded you can land it in water and pick it up once the area is secure or the threat has passed.

Re:Since the 60's

[0123456]

Don't forget Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, with their flying sub.

Oh, and UFO, with their sub-launched fighter.

Navy's drone program...

[whizbang77045]

I knew the Navy's drone program was sunk.

Re:RF?

[Bugler412]

spread spectrum, burst, drone broadcasts only during large portions of the flight, directional antennas working via satellite link to the drone. All ways of avoiding that problem, there's likely more too depending on the specifics. There may be missions where this isn't a concern, depends on the sophistication of the adversary I suppose

Re:In the NAVY!

[sconeu]

The purple wigs were for Moonbase. Gerry Anderson allegedly claimed they were for anti-static.

But they did have some women in those mesh uniforms on SkyDiver!!! A 13 year old boy's dream!!!!