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| Viktor III class nuclear attack submarine (Picture 1) |
Kimmo Huosionmaa
When we are talking about underwater drones, we must say, that submarines of tomorrow are probably fully automated drones, what can operate years in the sea. In some visions, there would be two types of drone-submarines. Another type looks like submarines, what is already existed. They have large room inside their hull, and those vessels might equip with supercomputers, what can use sophisticated artificial intelligence. They would patrol on the seas without a crew, and those submarines are actually already existed. Russian “Status-6” is a good example of that kind of drone submarine, what patrols alone at sea and those vessels are equipped with two 50 megaton thermonuclear bombs.
“Status-6” is probably actually “Viktor” or similar submarine, what is converted as a drone, what can strike any coastal target on Earth. Also, those robot submarines might have defensive and offensive subsystems like torpedos and tactical missiles, what it can use against other submarines and surface warships. But this is only the part of the underwater drone technology. Automatisation of submarines is very easy, because they are big size, and the nuclear reactors give lots of electric power. So those vessels can equip with very powerful computers, what makes independent operations possible because they will give enough computing power to those vessels.
Another type of military underwater drones is extremely long range torpedos. Those torpedos seem like normal torpedoes, but they are equipped with RTG (Radio Thermal Generators) and nuclear warheads. That kind of small midget submarines can patrol years on the sea, and when they would get orders, those vehicles can attack against any target, what is traveling in the sea. The warheads of those torpedoes are the size of 2-15 kilotons. Those midget submarines might also carry nuclear missiles. Those missiles are put inside the torpedo, or they would be connected to the front of the torpedo. When this vehicle gets an order to shoot, it would rise to launching depth, and turn up the missile. Then that missile would be launched from the deep blue sea.
Modern nuclear submarines also have sub-drones for supporting their missions. There are rumors, that Russian and U.S Navies have equipped their missile submarines with remote controlled SDV (Swimmer Delivery Vehicles), what are using torpedos. Those drones can use in a combat situation for shooting another submarine. Also, those submarines have “reconnaissance torpedos”. This means the torpedo-size recon vessel, what can slip in the harbors. The reconnaissance drones can also use to look the targets for the submarine. In this case, the submarine can stay very deep, and send the drone to look for surface targets.
That drone sends it data with LRAD- or blue-green laser light modems to submarine, what can stay in cover. Those submarines can also have robots, what uses manipulators for underwater recovery and minesweeping operations. Those CURV (Controlled Underwater Recovery Vehicle) submarines can recover secret devices, what are dropped in the sea, and they can also use to sweep mines from the coast before the attack to the beach. CURV vehicles were used to return the hydrogen bombs, what dropped in the sea when B-52 bomber got the trouble in the Spanish coast during the Cold war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CURV
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status-6_Oceanic_Multipurpose_System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_(ROV)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEAL_Delivery_Vehicle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixS80cTztzU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdw2CMKhZ9k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI2nQYqobeo
Picture 1
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