Navy's 85-Foot Orca Unmanned Submarine Will Be A Minelayer First
Dan Parsons - Yesterday 6:46 PM
The Navy could soon have a small fleet of 85-foot unmanned submarines patrolling the ocean depths, ready to dispense undersea mines at a moment’s notice. Testing begins this summer on the Orca extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle, or XLUUV, in its primary role of carrying anti-ship mines in a 34-foot modular payload compartment.
Capt. Scot Searles, the Navy’s program manager for unmanned maritime systems, gave an update on the Orca’s planned capabilities at the recent International Mine Technology Summit, hosted by the Mine Warfare Association in Monterrey, California, as reported by Sea Power Magazine.
At 80 tons, Orca is too big for a submarine to carry or launch, so it must be put to sea from a pier or larger surface ship. The Navy has not made it clear how it plans to launch and recover such a large UUV operationally.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/navy-s-85-foot-orca-unmanned-submarine-will-be-a-minelayer-first/ar-AAXOfn8?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=fa3447c58cf546d488a18183bcadcfd5
