HYBRID AUTONOMOUS UNMANNED VEHICLES SWARM FOR SUBMARINE SPECIAL OPERATIONS

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The comparative advantage of a submarine lies in its stealth and its ability to operate beneath the sea surface without being detected. However, submarine operations in enemy littoral waters are particularly challenging due to the significantly increased probability of detection. Submarine ISR operations, for example, in enemy coastal areas with a high concentration of enemy surface, underwater, and coastal sensors and units, drastically increase the likelihood of detection. For diesel submarines, this probability is even higher due to snorkeling, a procedure during which the submarine is highly exposed. The PLEIADES Project aims to address this issue. It is based on the concept of deploying from a submarine a swarm of Hybrid Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles (HAUVs) to operate in enemy littoral waters. The HAUV swarm will be transported to the operational area by a wire guided or/and autonomous underwater carrier, similar to a torpedo, which will be launched from the submarine. This carrier will be capable of covering a distance of approximately 10 nautical miles. It will remain connected to the submarine staying at a safe distance of more than 30 n.m. from the HAUV swarm's operational area. After arriving in the area of interest, the carrier will deploy the HAUV swarm to execute the planned tasks.