A determined enemy approaching alone from the sea may soon find himself intercepted and tracked by a torpedo-shaped drone that will sound an alarm, flash lights and spot his exact location in the water.
The model now on display at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space symposium in Maryland, submerged in a water tank and bearing a slithery Moray Eel along its sides, is being developed by SAIC as a non-lethal warning system.
What they’re developing is a candidate technology for a solution to deterring swimmers, said Jim Pollock, mission capability manager for the War on Terror, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and project manager for the Integrated Swimmer Defense Program. “It’s not necessarily a solution that the Navy has picked at this point.“
The roughly 5-foot long Reusable Unambiguous Swimmer Warning Vehicle can do up to 8 knots. Once launched, it heads directly for its target, slowing down when near it and rising to the surface where it continues to circle the suspect swimmer’s position and relaying it to handlers aboard ship or in port.
The system is equipped with GPS for surface tracking and a three-axis digital compass for underwater work.
For now, the system is being developed purely as a defense, warning tool, which is how it was packaged when it was submitted for budget approval.
But the mission of the Integrated Swimmer Defense System is to develop a means of thwarting combat divers and swimmers, so it’s likely whatever interceptor drone eventually is built and fielded will also come with a lethal option.
The Predator, after all, began as a surveillance drone only, but now carries out combat attacks armed with two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
– Bryant Jordan
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Can it be retrieved? Seems a bit expensive to be used on one person.
Hehehe well we could find a new use for boomers turn a few into sub carriers?
Valcan: “Tridents” :)
I think this is a cool little gadget; I’d rather see a video of it working, though.
any chance that the moral eel hunter will be able to detect subs like diesel subs
gsak,
Dude didnt you know owning nukes is evil unless your a evil phycotic dictator or a jihadi?
As for “….so it’s likely whatever interceptor drone eventually is built and fielded will also come with a lethal option.”, this one’s a no-brainer: Just scale the thing up about 10 times, so it can eat people :-)
Regards & all,
Thomas L. Nielsen
Denmark
The same idea applied to a small boat, to warn off small boats from getting into the wrong places, would be really useful. Can imagine how they’d also be useful for anti-piracy work in the Indian Ocean.
Must for harbor defense alone & for marine sciences studies worldwide.
Must have this with IR NV capable & GPS plotting system & mini Radar, sonar units.
Must send out in fleets?
Reusable & Recoverable by Harbor Yard boats alone
Must for harbor defense & sent out in fleets or squadrons for Recovery by Yard craft.
Add IR & NV for missions.
The same idea applied to a small boat, to warn off small boats from getting into the wrong places, would be really useful. Can imagine how they’d also be useful for anti-piracy work in the Indian Ocean.
Posted by: Will at May 6, 2009 11:27 AM
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Good idea but they would just lean over and shoot it :)
Hmm,
Wonder how this unit performs against natural and man made barriers (smiling) … Much less in areas of limited space. Suppose it might sport as a potentail tool. But far from the SOLUTION to counter well skilled subsurface intruders. Sound mission plans in union with "REAL toadmen" can easliy counter all anti swimmer measures. :0 (No matter the technical Advances) The water Has a unique way of affording total deniability :)
Airborne UAVs are virtually unrestricted (in flight) and thus impose hardships for the enemy. As for an Underwater drone, to conduct it's intended mission is rather unrealistic. For one, Salt water wreaks havoc on electrical units much less submerged robots (Spells maintenance nightmares and wasted man hours and $$$$$).
2ndly- unmanned submeged drones tend to mire up in natural "in water debree and obstacles". Countless examples!!
3rdly- Unmanned drones are unable to transit is tight areas to include creeks,
rivers, swamps. ETC ETC ETC.
Good intent but IMHO, WASTE OF PRECIOUS FUNDS! Skilled combat swimmers would laugh!
there is no subsitude for the human element to verify, engage and confirm.
IMHO
This UNIT Must be tested successfully against Skilled Combat Swimmers in order to merit any weight. There should be no staged and chorographed excerise to favor the unit. Simply stated, unrestricted mission plans by "swimmers" of proven mettle. IMHO, all too often questionable technology gets pushed thru at TAX PAYERS EXPENSES.speaking in blunt terms, substandard inventors=substandards products!!.THAT'S MY OPINION!
"THERE IS NO SUBSITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE! BE THERE DONE THAT!
IMHO It's better to spend the precious funds on surface and subsurface barriers.
There are too many varibables Harbor defense Units face when attempting to counter skilled intruders. Many factors within a given harbor would simply "throw this unit off" thus rendering it counterproductive. My opinion! Been there done that