The US Navy has ordered from the American corporation Boeing four large unmanned submarines, dubbed "Orca" (Killer Whale), according to The Popular Mechanics. Information about this appeared in mid-February 2019. It is known that the contract concluded with the Boeing company involves the manufacture, testing and delivery of underwater drones, as well as the supply of related infrastructure elements. The deal was worth $ 43 million, so the cost of one submarine will be just over $ 10 million.
It is reported that the American fleet is going to use the new unmanned submarines for reconnaissance, autonomous missions over long distances, for work in dangerous conditions, as well as for rescue operations. Structurally, the new American underwater drone Orca is based on the previously demonstrated by Boeing Corporation an unmanned diesel-electric submarine demonstrator of Echo Voyager technologies, which was developed in the United States as part of the XLUUV (Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle) program for creating ultra-large unmanned underwater vehicles. In fact, all reliable information about the project, which is also published in the public domain on the official website of the Boeing Corporation, refers specifically to the Echo Voyager drone. How much "Kasatka" will differ from the unmanned submarine Echo Voyager, one can only guess.
According to the American press, these devices will be able in the future to radically change the course of hostilities at sea, providing the military with inexpensive, in some cases disposable weapons systems that can always be thrown to patch holes in the defense or in the hottest spots (not only in terms of combat operations, but also in places of major man-made disasters), in which it is simply too dangerous for manned ships and submarines to be. At the same time, the capabilities of unmanned Killer Whales will not be limited only to reconnaissance tasks, it is assumed that they can also be used to sink various enemy ships at a great distance from their home bases.
Echo Voyager, photo: boeing.com
The basis for the "Kasatka" should be the Echo Voyager technology demonstrator submarine. The presentation of this underwater drone, capable of moving underwater for months without a crew on board, took place back in March 2016 and already then attracted the close attention of maritime specialists. And in June 2017, the first deep-sea drone submarine Echo Voyager entered the open sea, where it began a series of first sea trials. It is reported that this unmanned diesel-electric submarine is able to cover 6,500 nautical miles (about 12,000 km), while the boat can be autonomous for at least a month. The boat is 15.5 meters long. The weight of the drone is nearly 50 tons.
The unmanned submarine received an inertial navigation system, as well as depth sensors, in addition to this, the boat can receive data on its location using GPS. It can use satellite communications to send important information and receive new commands and tasks. The maximum speed of the American drone is 8 knots (14.8 km / h). The optimum travel speed is 2.5-3 knots (approximately 4.6-5.6 km / h). The range of travel between battery recharges is approximately 150 nautical miles (about 280 km). The maximum immersion depth of the drone reaches 3000 meters. It is worth noting that the absolute diving record for combat submarines belongs to the infamous Soviet boat K-278 "Komsomolets", which on August 4, 1985 was able to dive to a depth of 1,027 meters, at this depth the boat was unattainable for existing anti-submarine weapons and was practically not recorded by hydroacoustic means of detection.
One of the features of the Echo Voyager technology demonstrator was its modularity and modular payload system. For example, a drone makes it easy to include a payload compartment designed for various tasks. This compartment, about 10 meters long, provides the underwater drone with a carrying capacity of 8 tons. In addition, the boat can accommodate and transport payload outside the hull of the boat. With the transport compartment, the length of the Echo Voyager drone increased to 25.9 m.
Echo Voyager, photo: boeing.com
It is currently impossible to say how much better the Orca unmanned underwater vehicle will be than the Echo Voyager. At the same time, it is known that according to the data of the U. S. Naval Institute News a new unmanned vehicle will be able to fight against sea mines, surface ships, submarines, and electronic systems of the enemy. As a payload, sonar can be placed on board the unmanned submarine, which will allow it to hunt enemy submarines, sending data about their location to anti-submarine aircraft and surface ships.
The American media also write that the underwater drone can be equipped with a light Mk. 46 to enable him to independently fight enemy ships. In addition, it will be possible to install a heavier torpedo Mk. 48 to combat large surface ships, the option of placing anti-ship missiles on board is also being considered. At the same time, the boat will be able to deliver various cargoes and dump them on the seabed, as well as not only detect, but also independently install sea mines. The modular system of the submarine and flexible software with an open architecture are designed to provide a quick setup of the unmanned system for the tasks that need to be solved at the current time. The US military is seriously counting on the fact that in the future, unmanned ships will help reduce the total costs of the fleet while expanding the capabilities of the Navy.
The Popular Mechanics notes that the greater versatility of the Killer Whale, given its low cost, seems unrealistic. The closest equivalent can be provided by a warship of the fleet with a crew of 40 people and a cost of under $ 580 million. Such a combat ship floats much faster, has the advantage of a trained crew, carries more payload on board, including a combat one, but at the same time the Orca underwater drone is a completely autonomous vehicle, which costs significantly less.
Echo Voyager, photo: boeing.com
To combat enemy submarines, dozens of Killer Whales can be built, which can better protect and patrol the area than one surface combat ship or a conventional submarine with a crew on board. One control team located on the shore will be able to control several such underwater drones at once, allowing them to operate independently of each other for several weeks, until new orders are received from the shore.
A separate plus is the ability to work in hazardous areas of the world's oceans without risking the lives of well-trained sailors. Thus, the Killer Whale can pretend to be a full-fledged submarine, waiting for an enemy boat to attack it, while a real Virginia-class submarine will be at a safe distance, waiting for the most appropriate moment to attack. Also, the Orca underwater drone will be able to plant underwater mines and carry out sabotage in well-protected waters, which the enemy considers too dangerous for any manned ships.
The order of the first batch of four drones indicates both their further comprehensive testing and the possibility, if necessary, to use part of the Killer Whales to solve real problems. Inexpensive drones, which include Orca vehicles, can, in practice, reduce the uncontrollable costs of acquiring modern weapons. While the cost of classic ships and submarines with a large crew on board is unlikely to decrease in the near future, inexpensive unmanned systems can help reduce the costs of the US Navy.
Echo Voyager, photo: boeing.com
Russian military experts note that the Kasatka unmanned submarines can be a kind of response to Russian developments in this area. In an interview with RIA Novosti, an expert in the field of unmanned systems, Denis Fedutinov, noted that due to the rather large size, he does not see reconnaissance tasks as a priority for such drones, in contrast to transport tasks. The useful volume and the ability to carry tons of cargo allow a large number of anti-ship mines, torpedoes and a variety of sonar sensors to be placed on board. Speaking about this project back in August 2017, expert Denis Fedutinov noted that, in principle, it is possible to assume the likelihood of carrying a torpedo equipped with a nuclear charge by such a device, or placing on its board a nuclear charge integrated into the design of the submarine itself. In this case, the drone turns into a kind of "weapon of retaliation" designed to strike at the enemy in the event of a full-scale nuclear war.
On March 1, 2018, as part of his message to the Federal Assembly, Vladimir Putin for the first time told the general public about the development in Russia of unmanned underwater vehicles capable of moving at very great depths, sailing at intercontinental range and having a speed that is multiples of the speed of conventional submarines and the most advanced torpedoes. This unit, which in March of the same year received the official designation "Poseidon", can act as a carrier of both conventional and nuclear warheads. Poseidon's possible targets are enemy ground infrastructure, aircraft carrier strike groups, and coastal fortifications. Factory sea trials of the Russian Poseidon nuclear underwater drone should begin in the summer of 2019, TASS reported earlier, citing its own sources in the Russian military-industrial complex.
