In late September, the United States Navy formed the first squadron of submarine robots. According to a statement from the US fleet, the squadron has received the name UUVRON 1 (Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron 1).
The military has used submarine robots for decades to inspect the seabed, search for enemy mines and divers, inspect the submerged part of the ship, and explore. These devices work with auxiliary ships. Until now, independent squadrons with underwater robots did not exist. In the near future, the independent submarine robot fleet will carry out routine tasks for this type of device, however, according to the navy, in a few years it will be able to participate in combat operations. Details on UUVRON 1 devices have not been disclosed. In July of this year, the Pentagon commissioned the British company BAE Systems to design robots that could walk underwater in a group of submarines to look for enemy devices. The new robots can be launched with standard torpedo tubes.
The project is called MOCCA (Mobile Offshore Clandestine Communications & Approach). It is planned to equip the robots, which were developed under the project, with active subsea communication systems. It is assumed that the submarine, which releases the robot, will move underwater in silent mode, in particular, with a hydroacoustic complex in passive mode. Robots will emit signals underwater in different directions. Through their reflections, robots and submarines will be able to know the location of enemy submarines.
Gabriel Bazzolo
quDron Inc.