UUVs and ASW: A brief look

A future increase in submarine construction and operations by both China and Russia are not the only development of concern in the undersea domain: As autonomous technology becomes more mature, UUVs will also operate independently in areas of potential crisis or strategic importance. Officers and enlisted personnel must have the necessary training to operate the improved platforms and sensors given the potential rise in foreign submarine operations as well as unknown UUV technological advancements.

Internationally, the development and use of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) for education and commercial use are expanding, but in the military realm, developed countries are exploring UUV deployment from submarines that will create a new dynamic in the undersea domain. These new platforms and technologies have established a new era of ASW operations from the days of the Cold War, and to meet expanded foreign submarine operations and UUV technological advancements, the U.S. surface naval force is employing state of the art Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) technology aboard numerous Arleigh Burke class destroyers: The SQQ-89A(V)15 Combat System, which will be aboard 64 destroyers by 2020, and the new Multi-Functional Towed Array (MFTA) are game changers in ASW operations.