Tech firms are in a heated battle for dominance under the sea as navies worldwide invest heavily in autonomous submarine drones. The UK's Royal Navy, Australia, and the US Navy are among those racing to add these unmanned vessels to their fleets, with a focus on tracking submarines, protecting undersea cables, and countering potential threats.
The shift towards underwater drones represents a "genuine step-change" in the underwater battle space, according to Scott Jamieson, managing director for maritime and land defence solutions at BAE Systems. Autonomous uncrewed submarines will allow navies to scale up their capabilities without the need for expensive manned submarines, reducing costs and increasing decision-making speed.
Industry giants such as General Dynamics, Boeing, and Helsing are competing with startups like Anduril, the maker of the Ghost Shark, and Cohort in a bid to secure lucrative contracts. The startups claim they can offer faster and cheaper solutions, which could disrupt the traditional defence industry landscape.
The development of autonomous underwater systems has been accelerated by the increasing threat of sabotage on undersea infrastructure, including oil and gas pipelines, power cables, and telecommunications cables. The UK government recently accused Russia's Yantar surveillance ship of entering British waters to map undersea cables, highlighting the need for advanced detection capabilities.
The Royal Navy is planning a fleet of underwater uncrewed vehicles (UUVs) as part of its anti-submarine warfare strategy, which will be "contractor-owned, contractor-operated, and naval-oversight," according to Ian McFarlane, sales director for underwater systems at Thales UK. This approach aims to leverage the skills of private companies while ensuring that military targets remain clear.
However, experts warn that the cost advantage offered by autonomous drones remains to be seen, and significant maintenance costs are expected. Additionally, there is a risk that sabotage on undersea infrastructure could become more widespread as cheaper alternatives emerge.
As the underwater drone market heats up, one thing is certain: navies worldwide will need to adapt to a new era of threat detection and countermeasures if they want to stay ahead of the competition.
The shift towards underwater drones represents a "genuine step-change" in the underwater battle space, according to Scott Jamieson, managing director for maritime and land defence solutions at BAE Systems. Autonomous uncrewed submarines will allow navies to scale up their capabilities without the need for expensive manned submarines, reducing costs and increasing decision-making speed.
Industry giants such as General Dynamics, Boeing, and Helsing are competing with startups like Anduril, the maker of the Ghost Shark, and Cohort in a bid to secure lucrative contracts. The startups claim they can offer faster and cheaper solutions, which could disrupt the traditional defence industry landscape.
The development of autonomous underwater systems has been accelerated by the increasing threat of sabotage on undersea infrastructure, including oil and gas pipelines, power cables, and telecommunications cables. The UK government recently accused Russia's Yantar surveillance ship of entering British waters to map undersea cables, highlighting the need for advanced detection capabilities.
The Royal Navy is planning a fleet of underwater uncrewed vehicles (UUVs) as part of its anti-submarine warfare strategy, which will be "contractor-owned, contractor-operated, and naval-oversight," according to Ian McFarlane, sales director for underwater systems at Thales UK. This approach aims to leverage the skills of private companies while ensuring that military targets remain clear.
However, experts warn that the cost advantage offered by autonomous drones remains to be seen, and significant maintenance costs are expected. Additionally, there is a risk that sabotage on undersea infrastructure could become more widespread as cheaper alternatives emerge.
As the underwater drone market heats up, one thing is certain: navies worldwide will need to adapt to a new era of threat detection and countermeasures if they want to stay ahead of the competition.
. They're gonna change the game big time, but are we really ready for it? I mean, what if one of them gets hacked or sabotaged by bad actors? 
We need to think about that before we invest too much into this tech.
. It's gonna be a nightmare trying to keep all these drones running smoothly without any humans around. Not to mention, what happens when they break down or get damaged? 
. Are we gonna see a lot of smaller players and startups entering the market? And what's the deal with these contractor-owned UUVs? Is that just a fancy way of saying "we don't wanna take on all the responsibility"? 
. One thing's for sure though - it's gonna be interesting to watch! 
, but I guess this is the future now 
. It's kinda cool that tech firms are racing to create these autonomous subs, but at the same time I'm a bit worried about the maintenance costs 
navies are shelling out big bucks for autonomous subs that can track and detect threats without needing a crew, which makes total sense considering the risks we're facing with sabotage on undersea infrastructure 
. startups like Anduril might be disrupting the traditional defense industry with their cheaper solutions, but it's also clear that there are some significant hurdles to overcome, like maintenance costs 
. ultimately, i think navies will need to get creative and find ways to balance cost savings with effective threat detection and countermeasures 
.
. Remember those old-school sonar days? We didn't need all these fancy autonomous subs to catch a Russian spy ship, you know 
. Now, I'm not saying they're bad, but what's the rush? We've got more pressing issues like climate change and social media addiction to worry about... like who needs drones when you can have a decent filter on Instagram 
?
anyway its kinda cool that tech firms are racing to create these drones tho but dont they think about the environmental impact of all those subs in the ocean? like, our oceans are already struggling as it is 
!
. i mean, can we really afford to pay for these fancy drones 24/7? 
that's a major concern. i'm all for innovation, but let's not forget the human factor 
. still, it's cool to see companies like Anduril making waves with their ghost shark drone 
. can't wait to see how this whole thing plays out! 
. We're basically playing with fire here and it's gonna take a lot more than just fancy tech to keep our undersea infrastructure safe 
It's crazy how things have changed. Remember when subs were just like in Cold War movies? 
. These new drones better be worth it, or else we'll be sorry 
BAE Systems is saying it's a step-change and I'm like totally on board 
Anduril's Ghost Shark is looking 
One thing's for sure, navies will need to adapt fast! 
Can't wait to see these drones in action 
. And I mean, who wouldn't want a bunch of high-tech drones patrolling the seas for us? 
.
. But let's be real, it's not going to be all rainbows... 
. That'd be something 
. The way he swam through the wreck, dodging debris and fish everywhere, it was so sick. And have you ever thought about how awesome it would be to explore the ocean like that? I mean, we're basically just scratching the surface (literally) when it comes to discovering new things underwater 
.