
U.S. Navy Launches a Drone from a Submerged Submarine - mankypro
http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2013/12/navy-launches-drone-submerged-submarine/75026/
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uptown
“This six-year effort represents the best in collaboration of a Navy
laboratory and industry to produce a technology that meets the needs of the
special operations community"

And the endless defense spending continues.

[http://nation.time.com/2012/09/25/comparing-defense-
budgets-...](http://nation.time.com/2012/09/25/comparing-defense-budgets-
apples-to-apples/)

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stcredzero
If sub launched drones can eventually engage in precision bombstrikes and air-
superiority operations, this could presage another shift in naval warfare.

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brudgers
It used parts of the Tomahawk system, the precision bombing was largely
covered. Drones are supposed to be cheap. Billion dollar delivery platforms
don't really align with that. This is the US Navy trying to keep a weapon
system designed for the cold war. An attack submarine that isn't stalking
boomers is a hole in the water into which money is poured.

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gress
Why are drones supposed to be cheap?

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TallGuyShort
It's one of their main competitive advantages. If a drone launch starts
costing millions of dollars, the benefit it has over a traditional aircraft
fly-over starts to diminish.

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gress
I don't see traditional aircraft taking off from a submerged submarine any
time soon. That would seem to be an alternative advantage to offset the cost.

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ZushiZack
actually, the Japanese already invented that in WWII -
[http://www.nbcnews.com/science/sunken-japanese-wwii-
submarin...](http://www.nbcnews.com/science/sunken-japanese-wwii-submarine-
found-coast-hawaii-2D11701154)

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scotth
Not true. You forgot the submerged part.

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charlieflowers
Yeah, that's cool and all, but can it deliver a package in 30 minutes or less?

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moron4hire
NRL does amazing work. Their people are highly qualified scientists who get
paid peanuts.

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flippyhead
How do they get it back?

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jws
For the test they landed at a nearby base. They don't address how an
operational weapon system would work in the article.

I'd propose to wipe their memories and land them at a reasonably friendly if
not secure location. (Order is important.) barring a safe landing spot, crash
them as best you can. War is expensive. The last number I saw for a C5 was
$5000/hour, and that was a long time ago.

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pontifier
This brings to mind the idea of an amphibious quadcopter. That's not what this
is, but that's what I thought of.

I wonder if a waterproof quadcopter would navigate well underwater. It seems
like it could be an interesting environment to experiment with advanced
acrobatic maneuvers at lower speeds.

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VladRussian2
why Navy is building submarine launchable drones instead of building submarine
drones?

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gk1
Firstly, how do you know they aren't?

Secondly, a drone sub has vastly different mission capabilities than a drone
aircraft.

