US Navy adopting a “spatial approach” to test underwater drones: commander

The US Navy has put new underwater drone technology to operate alongside its submarines, using what a sub-commander called “the SpaceX approach” to develop this technology.

The objective is to bring the system out with the crews that will use it, causing comments and other iterations.

In a panel of the Hudson Institute last week, the commander of the submarines, the vice-admiral, Robert Gaucher, spoke with continuous efforts to integrate underwater vehicles unrelated to the service.

He said that the possibilities for the way unrelated vehicles can help the service are endless. He pointed out how work with Virginia class submarines has led to new developments in the place where and how force can work, stay hidden and collect information.

UUVs can extend the beach to which the navy can carry out missions. Their variable capacities for surveillance, as well as their smaller size, mean that the navy can deploy them in places that can be difficult to reach with other assets. They are also allocated to more expensive submarines. There is potential in this technology, which makes the implementation of increasing importance.

There are challenges in this, but the navy was successful, especially during the current deployment of the Virginie Uss Delaware class submarine in Europe. Gaucher said that the submarine operated alongside a Huntington Industries Uuv 600 Remus in a Norwegian Fjord for tests.

HII Remus drones are delivered with a variety of depths, mission and speed durations. They have seen commercial applications for exploration and research on the ocean.

Gaucher said that the naval approach is similar to the way Elon Musk Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, addresses rapid iterative development.

“We take, you know, I will call (he) a spacex approach for” hey, get it out and operate “, because what we find is that we learn much more when we put it in the hands of the crew,” said left-handed during the Hudson event. There have been some adjustments to the Remus, and the plan is to repeat the process, refine the capacity.

Gaucher said a few ships deployed in the Indo-Pacific region will also have some versions of Remus Uuv.

SpaceX, a leading spatial exploration company, is known for its rapid and iterative design approach, accepting that technology can encounter problems that can be solved through tests. The process is a process focused on comments for rapid design improvements.

The company broke various records, including the greatest number of launches in a single rocket in one year. This has also led to road bumps, such as several explosions and failed tests.

The approach takes an achievable prototype and allows the design of the user feedback shape on several iterations. The soldiers have looked more and more in this direction, which is not unique in SpaceX, to supply effective tests and development.

This is not the first lesson that the navy is taken from technological companies. The service has built a underwater test course near Keyport, Washington, to direct the UUV. Gaucher said it was similar to the false city of Google in California dedicated to testing autonomous vehicles.

Since July 2024, the navy has been having been flowing nearly 60 underwater drones, he added.

UUVs are a priority for the navy because it examines how to implement emerging systems not carried out in traditional crew operations and missions. The American allies and NATO will experiment with underwater drones in their next dynamic messenger exercise in September. Dynamic Messenger is a relatively new exercise focused on this technology.

Duane Fotheringham, of HII, President of Systems Unwedhed for the Development Division of the Mission of the Company Mission, said that the possibility of quickly upgrading the UUV as the Remus is essential to continue to make improvements, with vehicle downloads, energy sources and propulsion, all capable of being exchanged.