What is dangerous Sea Hunter and how to deal with it
The United States is actively engaged in the direction of unmanned surface ships for various purposes. One of the most interesting projects of this kind is the construction of an autonomous anti-submarine defense boat, known as the ACTUV / MDUSV / Sea Hunter. While this BEC is on the test, but in the future it can go into service. The task of the "Sea Hunter" will be to patrol specified areas and search for potential enemy submarines. Obviously, the new American BEC will pose a threat to Russian submarines, and therefore it is necessary to look for methods to counter it.
The Sea Hunter BEC is currently the main result of the ACTUV program (ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel - “PLO Cruise Ship for Long Trials”). It was developed from the beginning of the tenths, and in 2016, it was launched and tested. Since then, “Sea Hunter” has solved a lot of problems of various kinds and has shown its capabilities. So, recently the boat independently and autonomously made its way from California to the Hawaiian Islands and then came back.
Sea Hunter is a boat-trimaran 40 long m and full displacement 145 t. Most of the onboard equipment is placed in a narrow main body. Two smaller outriggers are also used. A characteristic feature of an experienced BEC is the presence of a cabin for the crew - if necessary, it can be controlled by people.
"Sea Hunter" has a power plant in the form of two economical diesel engines associated with two propellers. The screws are equipped with cable and net protection. The boat can reach speeds up to 27 nodes. Autonomy is determined by the peculiarities of the tasks and fuel supply. According to the terms of reference, Sea Hunter should work on the open sea for 1-3 months. It is ensured that it works under agitation up to 5 points and survives with 7 points.
The on-board equipment is able to take into account information from various sensors and sources and control the operation of the boat. It is possible to make transitions along a certain route with the handling of dangerous areas, patrolling of designated areas, etc. In parallel, the BEC should conduct a search for underwater objects. In the future we plan to equip it with our own weapons for the destruction of the submarines found.
One of the main elements of the ACTUV program is a promising compact hydroacoustic complex for the new BEC. With the help of active and passive means the boat should monitor the underwater situation. Information on identified objects is transmitted to the operator or consumers. The person must decide on further actions of the PLO.
Particularly marked low cost operation of new technology. The day of Sea Hunter operational work will cost taxpayers 15-20 thousand dollars. The work of the destroyer for the same period will cost more than 700 thousands. The cost of building a destroyer and a boat also differ by orders of magnitude.
While the Sea Hunter is on trial. After all the necessary checks have been made, BEC can be put into service. According to the latest reports, in the 2020 fiscal year, the Pentagon plans to spend 400 million dollars on two promising large BECs. However, it has not yet been clarified which boats are in question. It is possible that two new ACTUV / MDSUV boats will be purchased.
The Sea Hunter was designed as a relatively simple and cheap tool for finding enemy submarines. It is assumed that the "Hunters" in large numbers will patrol dangerous areas and identify threats. Depending on the further development of the project, BEC will be able to call Aviation or PLO ships, and independently destroy the found target.
Unfortunately, the exact characteristics of the GAK of the new boat remain unknown. Apparently, he uses the well-known principles of location, but his parameters were not announced. This does not allow to fully evaluate the new American developments.
The main danger of the Sea Hunter BEC for submarines is associated with the possibility of mass construction and full-scale operation. Unlike large and expensive ships, small and cheap boats will be able to work together and cover the designated waters. In addition, such cover areas will be less expensive. Recent tests have shown that "Sea Hunters" can work both in the coastal and in the marine zone. This provides full interaction with other surface ships, submarines and anti-submarine aircraft.
With the help of the new US Navy technology will be able in the shortest time to deploy in a dangerous area a whole network of boats with GAK capable of causing carriers of weapons. High fuel autonomy will ensure long-term preservation of the PLO milestone and the possibility of moving it in the right direction. Overcoming such a barrier will be an extremely difficult task for the submarines.
First of all, anti-submarine BEC is planned to deploy along the shores of the United States. They will be able to work both in the coastal and in the near or far sea zone. This will ensure the removal of the lines of detection of submarines at a sufficient distance. The possibility of including "Sea Hunters" in the carrier strike groups is also being considered. In this case, the boats will interact with surface ships and provide PLO warrants in the open sea.
Sea Hunter has a limited size and displacement, which does not allow to equip it with a developed set of anti-submarine weapons. At the same time, installation of compact launchers or bomb spreaders is possible. The limited ammunition of a separate BEC will be compensated by the ability to call other combat units.
Thus, with the successful completion of the current program ACTUV / MDSUV, the US Navy will receive a modern and convenient tool for improving anti-submarine defense. The advantages of unmanned systems are actively realized in various fields, and in the future they can contribute to the improvement of the US Navy PLO.
The development and future construction of the BEC Sea Hunter is aimed at reducing the potential of submarine forces of third countries. Boats will search for submarines, and, in turn, they will have to overcome new frontier lines. The American side does not hide the fact that the creation of new BEC for PLO is associated with the construction of submarines in Russia and China.
The best way to overcome the frontiers of defense is to get around them. The mass of crewless boats with the ability to quickly deploy in different areas complicates this task. Fleets China or Russia will have to search for BECs and identify areas of their deployment. In accordance with this information, submarine patrol routes should be planned or adjusted. To solve such problems, you need to use satellite, radio engineering and other types of intelligence.
However, situations are possible in which the submarine will have to break through the line of defense. In this case, the secrecy issues underlying any submarine project come to the fore. The limited physical fields of the boat, the absence of unmasking radiation, and the efficient use of natural factors contribute to a successful breakthrough. Unfortunately, the characteristics of Sea Hunter SAC are classified, and therefore it is difficult to say exactly how a submarine can pass by it unnoticed.
With the help of the BEC Sea Hunter and the like, it is proposed to cover the US coast and ship groups on the high seas. They should form a closed zone around the protected object, but the dimensions of this zone are not infinite. An enemy submarine can strike from outside the protected area. Thus, missiles of different classes with a range of hundreds of kilometers can become an effective means of countering new BECs. Using them, the submarine leaves the enemy's submarine, although the missiles can be intercepted by air defense.
In the context of unmanned systems, one can also recall the electronic warfare, but its application does not look particularly useful. To suppress the BEC radio communication, the EW station carrier must approach them at a certain distance. At the same time, he unmasks himself and becomes a priority goal.
However, all these considerations so far belong to the distant future. At the moment, the main enemy of the Sea Hunter and the ACTUV program as a whole are technical difficulties and the need for further funding. Without solving all the problems of this kind, Sea Hunter or other BECs have no real prospects.
Currently, the only experienced Sea Hunter BEC is being tested and demonstrates very high performance. In the future, it may enter mass production, which is necessary for the formation of full-fledged beskipazhnyh groups. Thus, in a few years, the US Navy may have a fundamentally new element of anti-submarine defense.
New boats significantly increase the potential of PLO, but are unlikely to make it fundamentally irresistible. The competing countries of the United States must take this into account and plan the development of their submarine forces and the navy as a whole accordingly. If the Pentagon manages to bring the Sea Hunter boat or other similar developments to full operation, third countries will be ready for such threats. Otherwise, they will still remain in a favorable position, since they will receive a developed fleet.
On the materials of the sites:
http://darpa.mil/
https://defensenews.com/
https://janes.com/
https://breakingdefense.com/
https://thedrive.com/
https://flot.com/
Boat and its capabilities
The Sea Hunter BEC is currently the main result of the ACTUV program (ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel - “PLO Cruise Ship for Long Trials”). It was developed from the beginning of the tenths, and in 2016, it was launched and tested. Since then, “Sea Hunter” has solved a lot of problems of various kinds and has shown its capabilities. So, recently the boat independently and autonomously made its way from California to the Hawaiian Islands and then came back.
Sea Hunter is a boat-trimaran 40 long m and full displacement 145 t. Most of the onboard equipment is placed in a narrow main body. Two smaller outriggers are also used. A characteristic feature of an experienced BEC is the presence of a cabin for the crew - if necessary, it can be controlled by people.
"Sea Hunter" has a power plant in the form of two economical diesel engines associated with two propellers. The screws are equipped with cable and net protection. The boat can reach speeds up to 27 nodes. Autonomy is determined by the peculiarities of the tasks and fuel supply. According to the terms of reference, Sea Hunter should work on the open sea for 1-3 months. It is ensured that it works under agitation up to 5 points and survives with 7 points.
The on-board equipment is able to take into account information from various sensors and sources and control the operation of the boat. It is possible to make transitions along a certain route with the handling of dangerous areas, patrolling of designated areas, etc. In parallel, the BEC should conduct a search for underwater objects. In the future we plan to equip it with our own weapons for the destruction of the submarines found.
One of the main elements of the ACTUV program is a promising compact hydroacoustic complex for the new BEC. With the help of active and passive means the boat should monitor the underwater situation. Information on identified objects is transmitted to the operator or consumers. The person must decide on further actions of the PLO.
Particularly marked low cost operation of new technology. The day of Sea Hunter operational work will cost taxpayers 15-20 thousand dollars. The work of the destroyer for the same period will cost more than 700 thousands. The cost of building a destroyer and a boat also differ by orders of magnitude.
While the Sea Hunter is on trial. After all the necessary checks have been made, BEC can be put into service. According to the latest reports, in the 2020 fiscal year, the Pentagon plans to spend 400 million dollars on two promising large BECs. However, it has not yet been clarified which boats are in question. It is possible that two new ACTUV / MDSUV boats will be purchased.
Than it is dangerous
The Sea Hunter was designed as a relatively simple and cheap tool for finding enemy submarines. It is assumed that the "Hunters" in large numbers will patrol dangerous areas and identify threats. Depending on the further development of the project, BEC will be able to call Aviation or PLO ships, and independently destroy the found target.
Unfortunately, the exact characteristics of the GAK of the new boat remain unknown. Apparently, he uses the well-known principles of location, but his parameters were not announced. This does not allow to fully evaluate the new American developments.
The main danger of the Sea Hunter BEC for submarines is associated with the possibility of mass construction and full-scale operation. Unlike large and expensive ships, small and cheap boats will be able to work together and cover the designated waters. In addition, such cover areas will be less expensive. Recent tests have shown that "Sea Hunters" can work both in the coastal and in the marine zone. This provides full interaction with other surface ships, submarines and anti-submarine aircraft.
With the help of the new US Navy technology will be able in the shortest time to deploy in a dangerous area a whole network of boats with GAK capable of causing carriers of weapons. High fuel autonomy will ensure long-term preservation of the PLO milestone and the possibility of moving it in the right direction. Overcoming such a barrier will be an extremely difficult task for the submarines.
First of all, anti-submarine BEC is planned to deploy along the shores of the United States. They will be able to work both in the coastal and in the near or far sea zone. This will ensure the removal of the lines of detection of submarines at a sufficient distance. The possibility of including "Sea Hunters" in the carrier strike groups is also being considered. In this case, the boats will interact with surface ships and provide PLO warrants in the open sea.
Sea Hunter has a limited size and displacement, which does not allow to equip it with a developed set of anti-submarine weapons. At the same time, installation of compact launchers or bomb spreaders is possible. The limited ammunition of a separate BEC will be compensated by the ability to call other combat units.
Thus, with the successful completion of the current program ACTUV / MDSUV, the US Navy will receive a modern and convenient tool for improving anti-submarine defense. The advantages of unmanned systems are actively realized in various fields, and in the future they can contribute to the improvement of the US Navy PLO.
What to do with him
The development and future construction of the BEC Sea Hunter is aimed at reducing the potential of submarine forces of third countries. Boats will search for submarines, and, in turn, they will have to overcome new frontier lines. The American side does not hide the fact that the creation of new BEC for PLO is associated with the construction of submarines in Russia and China.
The best way to overcome the frontiers of defense is to get around them. The mass of crewless boats with the ability to quickly deploy in different areas complicates this task. Fleets China or Russia will have to search for BECs and identify areas of their deployment. In accordance with this information, submarine patrol routes should be planned or adjusted. To solve such problems, you need to use satellite, radio engineering and other types of intelligence.
However, situations are possible in which the submarine will have to break through the line of defense. In this case, the secrecy issues underlying any submarine project come to the fore. The limited physical fields of the boat, the absence of unmasking radiation, and the efficient use of natural factors contribute to a successful breakthrough. Unfortunately, the characteristics of Sea Hunter SAC are classified, and therefore it is difficult to say exactly how a submarine can pass by it unnoticed.
With the help of the BEC Sea Hunter and the like, it is proposed to cover the US coast and ship groups on the high seas. They should form a closed zone around the protected object, but the dimensions of this zone are not infinite. An enemy submarine can strike from outside the protected area. Thus, missiles of different classes with a range of hundreds of kilometers can become an effective means of countering new BECs. Using them, the submarine leaves the enemy's submarine, although the missiles can be intercepted by air defense.
In the context of unmanned systems, one can also recall the electronic warfare, but its application does not look particularly useful. To suppress the BEC radio communication, the EW station carrier must approach them at a certain distance. At the same time, he unmasks himself and becomes a priority goal.
However, all these considerations so far belong to the distant future. At the moment, the main enemy of the Sea Hunter and the ACTUV program as a whole are technical difficulties and the need for further funding. Without solving all the problems of this kind, Sea Hunter or other BECs have no real prospects.
Threat from the future
Currently, the only experienced Sea Hunter BEC is being tested and demonstrates very high performance. In the future, it may enter mass production, which is necessary for the formation of full-fledged beskipazhnyh groups. Thus, in a few years, the US Navy may have a fundamentally new element of anti-submarine defense.
New boats significantly increase the potential of PLO, but are unlikely to make it fundamentally irresistible. The competing countries of the United States must take this into account and plan the development of their submarine forces and the navy as a whole accordingly. If the Pentagon manages to bring the Sea Hunter boat or other similar developments to full operation, third countries will be ready for such threats. Otherwise, they will still remain in a favorable position, since they will receive a developed fleet.
On the materials of the sites:
http://darpa.mil/
https://defensenews.com/
https://janes.com/
https://breakingdefense.com/
https://thedrive.com/
https://flot.com/
Information