US Navy Developing Variety of Shallow-Water Submarine Drones - Carter

© REUTERS / Gary CameronUS Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, US, October 28, 2016.
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, US, October 28, 2016. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
US Navy scientists and engineers are creating prototypes for a fleet of undersea drones that can slip into areas now off-limits to manned submarines, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC think tank.

Predator drone - Sputnik International
US Deploys Drones to Tunisia for ‘Training Operation’ - Embassy
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Carter’s speech emphasized the importance of innovation in the US military at a time when technological breakthroughs are becoming more frequent and adversaries are accelerating efforts to catch up technologically to the United States.

"Our Navy labs are developing and prototyping undersea drones in multiple sizes with diverse payloads," Carter said.

Without elaborating, the secretary explained the project’s significance.

"Among other reasons, unmanned undersea vehicles can operate in shallow waters, where manned submarines cannot," he said.

According to Carter, the US Department of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office is developing a modification to an Army missile system so rockets can hit moving targets on land and at sea.

"By integrating an existing seeker on to the front of the missile, they’re enabling it to hit moving targets at sea as well as on land," Carter said in a speech.

The capability effectively converts a US Army surface-to-surface missile into a weapon that can "project power" from coastal locations up to 180 miles at sea, the secretary stated.

The Strategic Capabilities Office is tasked with developing new uses for existing US weapons systems, Carter noted.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала