San Antonio Class Could Be Motherships For Undersea Drones With New System
The plan is to prove that large unmanned undersea vehicles can be launched and recovered by the Navy’s well deck-equipped amphibious ships.
BY
HOWARD ALTMAN, TYLER ROGOWAY
JUN 14, 2022 2:06 PM
Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries, or HII, announced yesterday that it has conducted a demonstration in Mississippi’s Pascagoula River that it says helps prove that its San Antonio class amphibious warships can launch, operate and recover large-diameter unmanned undersea vehicles (LDUUV).
HII’s Advanced Technology Group performed the launch and recovery demonstration with a prototype portable drydock-like platform called Pharos and HII’s LDUUV Proteus, the company said in a media release on June 13.
HII demonstrating its Pharos unmanned undersea vehicle launch and recovery platform. (HII photo)
Pharos is outfitted with heavy-duty wheels to allow it to maneuver within the well deck of an amphibious ship for stowage on the vehicle decks. Pharos can be rolled off the back of an amphibious ship while using the ship’s existing winch capabilities to extend and retract the platform and allow it to be launched and recovered from the rear well deck.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/san-antonio-class-could-be-motherships-for-undersea-drones-with-new-system
