The U.S. Navy has successfully tested its first drone from a submerged submarine marking the victory of a six-year long project in developing new military spying and investigation techniques.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory announced Thursday that it has successfully tested an all-electric, fuel cell-powered, unmanned aerial system (UAS) from a submerged submarine. The remotely deployed drone was launched using a specially designed system called Sea Robin. The design of the Sea Robin enabled the drone to fit into its empty canister used for launching Tomahawk cruise missiles. Upon ejection, the drone rose from the surface of the ocean and unfolded the wings for a flight that lasted for several hours.
The XFC drone's flight successfully streamed live video back to the submerged Providence, support vessels and the officials at the Naval Sea Systems Command Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC), Andros, Bahamas. The Navy finds the success of the project "offers a pathway to providing mission critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to the U.S. Navy's submarine force," according to a press release.
The officials released a picture of the XFC drone taking off and unfolding its wings before its long flight. In the handout released from the U.S. Navy, just on the surface of the ocean is a Sea Robin launch system that pushes the drone till the surface. The photo does not reveal when and where it was taken and the details remain classified.
"Developing disruptive technologies and quickly getting them into the hands of our sailors is what our SwampWorks program is all about," Craig A. Hughes, Acting Director of Innovation at the Office of Naval Research, said in a statement. "This demonstration really underpins ONR's dedication and ability to address emerging fleet priorities."
The development of the project came to its current stage after working on it for six years, which in standard cases takes decades to produce results. The U.S. Navy received funding from SwampWorks at the Office of Naval Research and the Department of Defense Rapid Reaction Technology Office. The project is aimed at efficient and cost saving results.
