{"id":40538,"date":"2018-08-03T20:53:53","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T20:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/03\/how-underwater-drones-will-change-the-navys-sub-game\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:44:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:44:41","slug":"how-underwater-drones-will-change-the-navys-sub-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/03\/how-underwater-drones-will-change-the-navys-sub-game\/","title":{"rendered":"How underwater drones will change the Navy\u2019s sub game"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Standing at the forefront of game-changing innovations in undersea warfare, Navy Cmdr. Scott Smith has only one small request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t call the Navy\u2019s fleet of unmanned undersea vehicles \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/air\/2018\/07\/10\/first-trans-atlantic-drone-flight-is-set-to-leave-from-north-dakota\/\" target=_blank>drones<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt has a negative connotation,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe think of drone strikes as taking out Taliban, and we\u2019re nowhere near that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not yet, anyway. But the Pentagon is trying quickly to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last fall, the Navy named Smith as the first-ever commander of the new Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron 1, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2017\/10\/11\/navy-stands-up-first-underwater-drone-squadron\/\" target=_blank>UUVRON-1<\/a>. It\u2019s spearheading the service\u2019s development and deployment of unmanned underwater vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Called UUVs, they\u2019re are already being used for surveillance and to clear mines and map the ocean floor, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/csbaonline.org\/about\/people\/staff\/bryan-clark\" target=_blank>Bryan Clark<\/a>, a retired submariner who is now a senior fellow with the <a href=\"https:\/\/csbaonline.org\/about\/people\/staff\/bryan-clark\" target=_blank>Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2017\/10\/11\/navy-stands-up-first-underwater-drone-squadron\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uuv3.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Navy stands up first underwater drone squadron<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron 1 will oversee all Navy underwater drones and help test new ones.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clark predicts that over the next few years, more of these devices will enter the fleet to work alongside humans. There are even ongoing efforts to launch UUVs from Virginia-class submarines to conduct surveillance or deliver payloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said that over the next decade sailors should expect to use the underwater robots to bring sonar arrays and mines to the seabed, launch torpedoes or become torpedoes themselves to destroy enemy warships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith wants to see UUVs in all kinds of sizes to fill gaps in future missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose missions that are too dangerous to put men on,\u201d Smith said. \u201cOr those missions that are too mundane and routine, but important \u2015 like monitoring \u2015 we\u2019ll use them for those missions, as well. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll ever replace the manned platform, but we\u2019ll certainly augment them to a large degree.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Champions of underwater drones hope that they\u2019ll help mitigate the looming submarine shortage, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy\u2019s 2016 <a href=\"https:\/\/news.usni.org\/2016\/12\/16\/document-summary-navys-new-force-structure-assessment\" target=_blank>Force Structure Assessment<\/a> estimated that America needed 66 attack submarines to wage war or deter potential enemies, 14 more than what\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.navy.mil\/navydata\/fact_display.asp?cid=4100&#038;tid=100&#038;ct=4\" target=_blank>generally available for deployment.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When he helmed Pacific Command early this year, shortly before he retired to become the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Adm. Harry Harris complained to Congress <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.house.gov\/meetings\/AS\/AS00\/20180214\/106847\/HHRG-115-AS00-Wstate-HarrisJrH-20180214.pdf\" target=_blank>that the global fleet of American fast attack submarines continues to dwindle<\/a> just as China and Russia launch increasingly larger numbers of lethal and quiet diesel and nuclear-powered boats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He urged lawmakers to \u201cresource properly\u201d the continuing development of UUV technologies \u201cto ensure they remain relevant and capable\u201d in a new era of underwater warfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/unmanned\/2018\/04\/26\/us-navys-unmanned-vehicle-efforts-are-the-answer-to-deterring-adversaries\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635567626437669003-mk-18-mod-2-swordfishjpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US Navy\u2019s unmanned vehicle efforts are the answer to deterring adversaries<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">To protect our national interests and keep our soldiers and sailors safe, we must be continually preparing for the next potential threat \u2014 and the next conflict may highly depend on unmanned technology.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Developing cutting-edged undersea weapons is a top mission in \u201cTorpedo Town, U.S.A.,&#8221; the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Keyport, Washington, where Smith\u2019s squadron is headquartered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To Smith, they\u2019ve been building and testing torpedoes in adjacent Liberty Bay since World War II, making collaboration on futuristic robot weapons that much easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have engineers right here that can help us develop the technology,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd the operators that actually deploy with these systems, we can take them right out to the water,\u201d he added while motioning toward the bay. \u201cIt never freezes. So, we can work year-round, then come back to the engineers and say, the widget\u2019s not working. So, our timeline to advance the technology is much better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith\u2019s command is growing, too. He counted about 35 sailors earlier this year but he\u2019s planning on growing the squadron to more than 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome of these young men and women may have never seen a UUV before,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I have to figure out how to get them trained and serving the fleet as soon as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4386\" height=\"2894\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-UUV.JPG.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-51572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-UUV.JPG.jpg 4386w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-UUV.JPG.jpg?resize=300,198 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-UUV.JPG.jpg?resize=768,507 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-UUV.JPG.jpg?resize=1024,676 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-UUV.JPG.jpg?resize=1536,1013 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-UUV.JPG.jpg?resize=2048,1351 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4386px) 100vw, 4386px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">140822-N-MN975-012\rKEYPORT, Wash. (Aug. 22, 2014) Sailors assigned to Commander, Submarine Development Squadron (CSDS) 5, Detachment Unmanned Undersea Vehicle, prepare Large Training Vehicle 38 (LTV 38), an unmanned undersea vehicle, to be unloaded at Naval Undersea Warfare Center-Keyport. LTV 38 is designed as a full-pressure hull vehicle, capable of both line of sight and over the horizon communications in support of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin A. Johndro\/Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plan is to get sailors here trained on specific underwater drones that can carry out unique missions. Then they\u2019ll deploy together on a ship or submarine, like a military handler and a dog, minus the fur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A submarine nuclear mechanic before taking command of the squadron, Smith said he wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see a Navy rating for UUV operators in the coming years, but for now his ranks are filled mostly with second-term sonar technicians, fire controlmen and electronics technicians culled from the sub community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, the plan is for them to practice on the small robots, developing new tactics before scaling up to larger devices when they\u2019re perfected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I break a $50,000 vehicle compared to a $2.1 million vehicle, I\u2019ll have much less explaining to do,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThere is enormous job satisfaction when they get the robot put together and get it out on some acceptance test or (initial operational capability).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike their peers flying aerial drones, Smith\u2019s sailors can\u2019t really drive their underwater vehicles by remote control yet. They plan and program missions for the UUVs and then recover them when they\u2019re done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOnce the UUV\u2019s on mission, you don\u2019t really have the chance to talk to it again,\u201d unless you program it to surface at some point, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A range finder will send \u201cbeeps and boops acoustically\u201d for about 2,000 yards away, but then the robots are on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe joke that there\u2019s better comms with the Mars Rover than a UUV on mission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1264\" height=\"866\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uuv2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-76111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uuv2.jpg.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uuv2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,206 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uuv2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,526 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uuv2.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,702 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1264px) 100vw, 1264px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">On May 19, 2017, AGC Giannaris (left) and AG2 Simmons with Fleet Survey Team recover an Iver 3 unmanned systems off a rapid littoral survey vessel in the Pearl River at Stennis Space Center, Miss., in support of Naval Oceanography Unmanned Systems Operational Demonstration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The good thing is that today\u2019s UUVs can be programmed to abort a mission if they get into trouble, and advances in sensors and artificial intelligence should make the vehicles smarter in coming years, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clark at the <a href=\"https:\/\/csbaonline.org\/about\/people\/staff\/bryan-clark\" target=_blank>Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments<\/a> said researchers still have to overcome endurance, reliability and navigational problems. The <a href=\"http:\/\/auvac.org\/configurations\/view\/225\" target=_blank>Mk-18 Mod 2 Kingfish<\/a> can only operate for about 24 hours, depending on how often the robot runs its sonar, he said, which isn\u2019t enough time for persistent surveillance or standing underwater sentry duty with weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy wants battery-operated vehicles that can operate for a month or longer and Clark thinks they\u2019ll get them over the next few years. New batteries being tested already allow small devices to go for several hundred hours at a time, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Robot sensors need upgrades, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I asked you to go back to your car, you\u2019d easily be able to walk back the way you came in,\u201d Smith said by way of example. \u201cIf I put a bag over your head and spun you around three times, you\u2019d have a hell of a time leaving this building. That\u2019s how we equate the sensor piece.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And they\u2019ll have to be more affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAlthough UUVs can come up to the surface to get a GPS fix, this takes up more energy and GPS may be jammed in operating areas close to an enemy\u2019s shores,\u201d Smith said. \u201cTherefore, a UUV might need an inertial navigation system like a submarine. Again, though, it cannot be expensive or else we start to lose the advantage of using a UUV.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As they push a futuristic capability forward, Smith said the squadron also balances the concerns of civilian groups in the Pacific Northwest concerned about the impact of Navy operations on marine life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such a concern is not limited to underwater vehicles, and Smith said the squadron is \u201cvery environmentally conscious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith insists that his sailors are trained to halt exercises and recover the vehicle when they spot sea animals and the sonar they\u2019re using won\u2019t harm a mollusk. The energy the devices put into the water is equivalent to a civilian fish finder, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Smith and his sailors, the new age of underwater warfare isn\u2019t without its foibles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He recalled one day when his sailors were on the water, fiddling with a drone that wasn\u2019t theirs. Whenever they tried to yank it from the water, it swam away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s because it was equipped with technology designed to help it stay clear of vessels using the automatic identification system, or AIS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t know it had AIS avoidance turned on,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019d drive the boat over to pick it up and it\u2019d drive away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018hey you guys, pick the damn thing up!\u2019\u201d Smith recalled. \u201c\u2019Sir, we can\u2019t, it keeps driving away.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Keyport, Washington, the Navy&#8217;s first-ever Unmanned Underwater Vehicle squadron is moving to push such technology forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":76108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"9":{"categories":["unmanned","home","daily-brief","newsletters"],"primary_category":"unmanned"}}},"categories":[101,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3355],"class_list":["post-40538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"E35EVUTTUZGPTOX6ETKGWFW7JI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/03\/how-underwater-drones-will-change-the-navys-sub-game\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How underwater drones will change the Navy\u2019s sub game - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Keyport, Washington, the Navy&#039;s first-ever Unmanned Underwater Vehicle squadron is moving to push such technology forward.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/03\/how-underwater-drones-will-change-the-navys-sub-game\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How underwater drones will change the Navy\u2019s sub game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Keyport, Washington, the Navy&#039;s first-ever Unmanned Underwater Vehicle squadron is moving to push such technology forward.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/03\/how-underwater-drones-will-change-the-navys-sub-game\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-03T20:53:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T19:44:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Geoff Ziezulewicz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Geoff Ziezulewicz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": 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