New classes of underwater drones and robots are emerging in the world
The beginning of the XXI century was marked by a qualitative leap in the development of the military-technical sphere and methods of conducting armed conflicts. The analysis shows that in military affairs there was in fact another revolution, one of the features of which was the active use of unmanned vehicles for various purposes by the warring parties. Autonomous or controlled from a long distance by an operator, they allow you to solve a variety of tasks-reconnaissance, strike, transport and many others. Recently, unmanned vehicles are increasingly used in conducting maritime operations.
From lifeguards to underwater killers
As for Russia, on March 1, 2018, as part of his Address to the Federal Assembly, Vladimir Putin spoke for the first time about the development of unmanned underwater vehicles in Russia that can move at very great depths, make voyages to intercontinental distances and have a speed that is many times higher than that of conventional submarines and the most advanced torpedoes. This device, which already in March of the same year received the official designation "Poseidon", can act as a carrier of both conventional and nuclear warheads. Possible targets are enemy ground infrastructure, carrier strike groups, and coastal fortifications.
There is no need to emphasize that "Poseidon" is only one of the areas of work of the domestic defense complex in the creation of unmanned naval ships in the interests of ensuring the security of the country. The Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering (CCB MT) "Rubin" has been working in this area since the early 90's. Marine robotic systems and systems for various purposes, developed by this bureau, are able to solve tasks in aggressive conditions of the marine environment – in the entire range of depths of the World Ocean and from the southernmost latitudes to the North Pole.
In 2015, "Rubin "for the first time presented to the general public an autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle"Juno". Its design is modular and consists of six sections. If desired, you can install any module on it, which allows it to solve a variety of tasks. It will be able to conduct reconnaissance, be used for wiretapping, mapping, search and rescue operations, and determine the bottom relief in shallow water. And most importantly – in this device, unlike the American ones, there can be no "bookmarks" guaranteed.
"At the disposal of the command of the Navy will be inexpensive, and in some cases disposable weapons systems that can always be thrown into the hottest spots ”
Maximum diving depth of a thousand meters, maximum underwater speed of three meters per second range – 50 miles, autonomy – six hours. Interestingly, the device itself is very tiny. Its length is 2.9 meters, diameter-200 millimeters, and weight-80 kilograms.
Juno's younger brother is the autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle Amulet. Its tasks include conducting search and research operations, as well as monitoring the indicators of the underwater environment: temperature, pressure and speed of sound propagation. The length of the device is 1.6 meters, weight-25 kilograms, diameter-16 centimeters. The maximum depth of the dive is 50 meters, the maximum speed of the underwater course is 5.4 kilometers per hour, and the range is 15 kilometers.
On the "Ruby" there are also more serious products that can quietly get close to the same enemy submarine and strike at it. This is an uninhabited underwater vehicle of ultra-deep diving "Vityaz". It can dive to a depth of 12 kilometers and move away from the mother ship for 300 kilometers. Its length is 5.2 meters, which means that it can be equipped with serious weapons and perform the role of an underwater killer.
Also, a robot "Surrogate" is being created for the Russian Navy, capable of simulating any submarine. "The relatively large size (length of about 17 m) and the ability to carry towed antennas for various purposes will allow you to realistically reproduce the physical fields of the enemy submarine – acoustic and electromagnetic, "the Rubin Central Design Bureau noted.
"Surrogate" is equipped with a lithium-ion battery, it is able to work up to 15-16 hours. And all this time it will reproduce the maneuvering of the submarine, including at high speeds. The modular design of the simulator will allow you to change its functionality: the "Surrogate" will be able to simulate both non-nuclear and nuclear submarines, as well as conduct terrain mapping and reconnaissance.
Since 2016, the Navy began to receive unmanned robotic systems "Fugu", created by the research and production group of MAKO. They are designed to transmit signals of fighting management and strategic missile nuclear submarine and collect information about the conditions of navigation in the areas of combat patrols. The device consists of underwater and surface parts. Freely rotating fins, using the energy of the incoming wave, move the underwater and tow the surface parts of the devices. On the surface part there is a satellite communication system, a station for collecting oceanographic and meteorological data. The device's batteries are powered by a solar panel. The underwater part is equipped with miniature sonars, as well as a sonar modem capable of providing a communication channel with the submarine.
And they do not drown in water, and they do not burn in fire
As the head of the Main Research and Testing Center of Robotics of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (GNIITS) Sergey Popov said, new classes of underwater robots, including underwater gliders with hydrostatic principle of motion, have recently appeared, taken shape, received recognition and developed a great scientific and industrial potential.
At the exhibition" ARMY-2020", the surface unmanned platform"cyberbot-330" was also demonstrated. When loaded, a patrol boat with a displacement of 0.55 tons has a draft of 0.34 meters. Water jet propulsion, as well as a strong wear-resistant body made of aluminum composite with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, which allows it to overcome even shallow areas at speed.
The cylinders along the sides are made of foamed polyethylene and sheathed with kevlar-based material, which makes the ship unsinkable: regardless of damage, it melts afloat. An emergency control system is also provided.
The hybrid internal combustion engine-electric power plant provides operation in two modes. With the help of a two-stroke aircraft engine, the boat can travel at a speed of 60 knots for a distance of up to 100 miles. The electric motor provides a power reserve of up to 140 hours and a range of up to 400 miles. At the same time, while the device uses the internal combustion engine, the batteries are charged. The boat is equipped with a radar station, satellite communication, as well as a set of sensors, which allows it to move both under the control of the operator and in completely autonomous mode. The range of video communication is 40 kilometers, and telemetry powered by solar panels is not limited.
As part of the Russian Navy, there are also other marine unmanned ships, which indicates the significant success of our country in creating fully automated vehicles. And this can not but excite, as the American magazine "Forbes" emphasizes, the military minds of the West, since it clearly changes the rules of the game in the vast World Ocean in favor of Russia.
Pearl Harbor with underwater drones would be cheaper
According to most American experts, unmanned surface and underwater ships will be able to radically change the course of combat operations at sea in the future. In their opinion, at the disposal of the command of the Navy will be inexpensive, and in some cases disposable weapons systems that can always be thrown into the hottest spots, where manned ships and submarines are simply too dangerous to be because of the threat of death of their crews.
The modular system and flexible software with an open architecture inherent in drones are designed to provide quick configuration of the unmanned system for those tasks that need to be solved at the current time. The greater autonomy of drones and the relatively low cost of their construction and maintenance are another advantage. At the same time, one crew located on the shore will be able to control several such underwater drones at once, allowing them to work independently of each other for several weeks, until new orders are received from the shore.
At the same time, a number of experts are of the opinion that drones have serious drawbacks that significantly reduce the effectiveness of their use. In particular, they point out that in a combat situation it is necessary to simultaneously solve many tasks: to fight against enemy ships and submarines, to provide air defense, to maintain constant communication with the command, to maneuver. It is easier for the crew to cope with all these tasks than for an unmanned vehicle, which is controlled by operators from the shore or a ship located in the distance. In addition, it is enough to disrupt communication, including using electronic warfare, so that the drone becomes unmanageable.
According to a representative of the US Navy Command, it takes into account all these risks. The program of equipping the naval forces with drones has already been launched. It provides for the allocation of four billion dollars until 2024 for the construction of ten large unmanned surface ships and nine large unmanned submarines.
Currently, the US Navy is considering the concept of a surface robot ship with a length of 60 to 90 meters and a displacement of two thousand tons, which will put this machine on a par with corvettes. These ships can be equipped with both reconnaissance and combat systems, including Mk 41 launchers capable of carrying anti-missile missiles within the missile defense system and Tomahawk cruise missiles, including those with nuclear warheads.
In the meantime, tests of the Sea Hunter combat surface drone ("Sea Hunter"), designed to combat enemy submarines, primarily diesel-electric submarines, have been completed. The new combat system with a displacement of 135 tons moves at a speed of 27 knots (about 50 km / h) and can be in autonomous navigation for up to three months.
In 2019, the "Sea Hunter" successfully overcame the route of more than eight thousand kilometers autonomously, without human intervention. After that, the research department of the US Navy completely classified the project, which can be interpreted as an intention to protect effective weapons from excessive attention.
The cost of "Hunter" is estimated at $ 20 million. For comparison, the construction of the destroyer "Arleigh Burke", which has the necessary arsenal to fight submarines, costs the United States two billion.
The US Navy has signed a contract with L3 Harris Technologies to develop a prototype of a medium-class surface unmanned vehicle (MUSV). According to US media reports, the value of the transaction was almost 35 million. It is expected that the US Navy will receive a prototype of a medium surface drone at the beginning of the 2023 fiscal year (starting on October 1, 2022).
It should also be noted that the development of unmanned ships is a key part of the US agreement with NATO allies signed in July 2018. The press service of the alliance on this occasion emphasizes that the use of unmanned systems is a potential leap forward in the development of naval technologies.
Other countries are also actively working on the creation of unmanned ships.
China for the first time demonstrated the seriousness of its plans to increase its presence at sea with the help of robots in 2017. Then the concept of a combat surface drone D3000 was presented, made according to the trimaran scheme, like the American "Sea Hunter". Unlike the latter, the D3000 will carry weapons on board. It provides launchers for torpedoes, missiles and launching reconnaissance drones, and four Type 730 guns are mounted on the deck. The warship is completely autonomous, adjusts its course itself, avoiding collisions, and identifies surface and underwater targets.
And the M75A unmanned boat has already proven itself in the fight against sea smugglers. These boats are good at recognizing any vessels even in the dark and are able to chase them, reaching speeds of up to 35 knots. The M75A has a range of 50 kilometers. At its border, it transmits the coordinates of the target to another drone or coast Guard boat, and then returns to its patrol area.
It is also reported that the PRC has begun testing a promising combat unmanned boat. The ship JARI-USV was developed by specialists of the 702nd and 716th Research Institute of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation).
The length of the JARI-USV is 15 meters, the displacement is 20 tons, the speed can reach 42 knots (77 km / h). The range of autonomous navigation is 500 nautical miles (926 km). The relatively small size limits the combat capabilities of the JARI-USV.
Israel is also working on unmanned ships. The Seagull unmanned boat has already been adopted, which is designed to combat enemy submarines and search for sea mines. The length of the boat is 12 meters. It is equipped with two engines that can reach speeds of up to 32 knots. Seagull can carry a payload of up to 2.3 tons. It is believed that only a few such robot boats can easily replace an anti-submarine ship with a crew of 40 people.
Boris Usvyatsov, Candidate of Military Sciences, Professor
The newspaper "Military-Industrial Courier", published in issue No. 1 (864) for January 12, 2021