An enemy submarine sneaks towards a naval base ready to strike surface vessels or sever seabed cables.
Its crew is unaware of the threat it faces – a human-free deterrent which can cause catastrophic damage.
Three marine drone torpedoes, deployed from an unmanned mother ship, are roaming the depths and have spotted the submarine. The torpedoes are capable of penetrating its hull, destroying its diving capability and forcing it to the surface.
This is the scenario that French experts are planning for with the range of drone submarines being built by maritime defence company Naval Group. It is the next step in the capabilities of uncrewed undersea vessels.
“You find a lot of drones for survey, but not for combat,” said Aymeric Moullart De Torcy, the company’s military director of unmanned systems. “Our idea is to have drones equipped with torpedoes, a legacy from our submarine building.”
The plan is that having a fleet of undersea drones would deter incursions by traditional silent diesel-electric submarines known as SSKs.
“If you have an SSK with sailors on board it is at risk against unmanned systems carrying torpedoes,” Mr Moullart De Torcy said. “It’s a significant deterrent because you don't want to put your men at risk against an unmanned submarine.”
While the unmanned sub may not be able to sink an SSK yet, “a targeted explosion could severely damage its diving bars”, he said.
These drones could be useful to Gulf states, it has been suggested, where Iran is the only regional operator of submarines. It has three of the stealthy Russian-made Kilo-class vessels in its fleet.
Cost per kill
In a demonstration for The National during a visit to Naval Group’s base in Lorient, France, a video showed torpedo-drones spotting a submarine and converging on it at about 50 knots after they had deployed from a Seagent XL mother ship.
Naval Group’s developing system is, argued the former French naval officer, the “best cost per kill”. He said that to use a heavy F21 Artemis anti-submarine torpedo (about $5 million) or even a MU90 lightweight torpedo, which costs $2.1 million, is “very expensive” compared to a drone.
As has been discovered in the aerial domain, drones provide persistent surveillance, can conduct electronic warfare and are “reshaping how fleets operate in wartime” at fairly low cost, he added.
The deadly new form of warfare has been demonstrated by Ukraine’s armed forces, who used their own $250,000 Sea Baby drone to severely damage a $400 million Kilo-class submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in December.
The vision is for future naval warfare to be dominated by crewed warships operating with a complementary fleet of drones, above and below the waves.
Global drone forces
Navies around the world are rapidly evolving to include drones, realising their potential to become “force multipliers”.
For example, the new French FDI destroyer, itself well equipped with air and surface missiles, could also operate a squadron of drones, from the “extra-large” Seagent mother ship to its smaller torpedo or surveillance models.
“These drones are rapidly becoming a decisive capability boost in modern maritime warfare,” said Mr Moullart De Torcy, who was also a navy helicopter pilot. “They can extend operational reach and reduce risks to sailors. They will be key to the modernisation of navies.”
The range of drones being developed by Naval Group could soon allow the French navy to significantly increase its anti-submarine or anti-ship operations, supplement special forces operations or protect their own bases at a lower cost.
Part of the system is the Steeris control centre that allows the autonomous vehicles to react independently to unforeseen events, such as the sudden presence of an enemy vessel. AI allows it to reconfigure its mission.
Britain is also developing its AI and drone Atlantic Bastion system to enable increased patrolling of the ocean for Russian submarines and allow its ballistic nuclear submarines to safely leave port in Scotland.
They are all part of the race to secure the next generation of marine defences.
