US Navy makes history with an unmanned underwater vehicle: it will be able to detect mines, conduct surveillance, and map the seafloor

The United States Navy has achieved a groundbreaking milestone. In a recent mission, the military successfully launched and recovered an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) from a submerged submarine without the use of divers.

According to Navy reports, this feat was made possible by the USS Delaware, a Virginia-class submarine. The mission involved launching an autonomous drone through a torpedo tube, allowing the submarine to complete a “tactical objective” without surfacing.

U.S. Navy makes history with this unmanned underwater vehicle

The underwater drone used by the Navy was the Yellow Moray, a variant of the REMUS 600 model, which is specialized for deep-sea operations. The drone successfully carried out three consecutive missions, each lasting up to ten hours, demonstrating the effectiveness of autonomous systems for reconnaissance and undersea warfare.

According to Vice Admiral Rob Gaucher, this technology will expand the reach of submarines using additional sensors that can operate at depths beyond what is accessible by human crews. This marks a major advancement in the Navy’s ability to detect mines, conduct surveillance, and map the seafloor—particularly in areas considered high-risk for manned vessels.

“Delaware is just the beginning,” said Vice Admiral Gaucher in an interview with Straight Arrow News. “We plan to continue deploying submarines with robotic systems worldwide. This capability allows us to extend our reach with additional sensors at both shallower and deeper depths than a manned submarine can access.”

This successful deployment has been described as a “turning point” for submarine combat and exploration, Straight Arrow News reports. By combining advanced submarine platforms with drones like the Yellow Moray, the U.S. Armed Forces will be able to strengthen their presence in challenging environments and better prepare for future maritime conflicts.

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