The US Navy is gaining the ability to transform its nuclear submarines into a kind of ‘carrier’ for underwater drones, capable of launching and recovering unmanned vehicles underwater. This has become possible thanks to a new system for launching and recovering through torpedo tubes.
Company L3Harris announced that it has received a contract from Defense Innovation Unit to supply the Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery (TTLR) system. It allows the launch and recovery of autonomous underwater vehicles Iver4 900 through the torpedo tubes of American submarines.
The TTLR system allows a submarine to launch an underwater drone without structural modification of the hull and without surfacing. The autonomous vehicle leaves the submarine through the torpedo tube, performs its mission underwater, and then returns the same way.
L3Harris states that this technology has already been tested by the US Navy and allied fleets for tasks involving reconnaissance, surveillance, mine detection, and seabed operations.
Autonomous return of drones
The main problem was not so much launching the drone as returning it to the submarine. The publication USNI News previously explained that the Navy could already deploy underwater vehicles, but their recovery required more complex procedures, including the use of dry deck shelters or the involvement of divers, which limited the operational capabilities of the system.
The magazine Seapower Magazine reported that the system includes a removable inner sleeve called SAFECAP, which is installed inside the torpedo tube. Through it, the Iver4 900 leaves the submarine and, after completing its mission, returns autonomously.
A representative of L3Harris explained that the recovery process is fully autonomous: with a single command, the vehicle can independently return to the submarine. Another advantage is that the torpedo tube does not become permanently occupied. The sleeve can be removed from inside the submarine, after which the tube can again be used to launch torpedoes or other payloads.
New capabilities for underwater warfare
This technology expands the submarine’s capabilities for surveillance and information gathering. Instead of directly approaching a dangerous area, a manned platform can send a drone to map the seabed, detect mines, inspect underwater cables, monitor important areas, or collect data without revealing its own location.
The US Navy has long sought to obtain this capability. In 2022, fleet representatives stated that after the deployment of the launch and recovery system, “every SSN” — a nuclear-powered attack submarine — would be able to serve as a carrier for unmanned underwater vehicles.
This concept is based on the capabilities of the SSN, which can operate covertly for extended periods. The technology also aligns with the concept of joint use of manned and unmanned platforms. L3Harris notes that the compatibility of TTLR with various classes of submarines and allied platforms promotes the development of human-machine interaction in the Navy and demonstrates cooperation within the Second Pillar of AUKUS.
The system does not turn submarines into giant underwater aircraft carriers, but it gives them a new function — to launch, recover, and reuse drones underwater. For the Navy, this means greater range, higher stealth, and more capabilities in an area where the ability to detect the enemy while remaining undetected is crucial.
Source: Clarín
