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Australia It is U.S presented two prototypes of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV): these are “Ghost Shark” and “Manta Ray”. According to experts, these drones could represent the future of underwater warfare, as they will allow long-range covert operations without putting human lives at risk, among other strengths.
The war between Russia It is Ukraine served as a testing ground for surface naval kamikaze droneswhich were used by Kiev against Russian ships in the Black Sea and essential infrastructure such as the Kerch bridge, in Crimea.
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Although, “Ghost Shark” from Australia and “Manta Ray” from the United Stateswhich are powered by artificial intelligence systems, go several steps further than Ukrainian robots.
According to CNN, when Australia introduced “ghost shark” in April, said it was the prototype of “the world’s most advanced autonomous underwater vehicles.”
“Ghost Shark will provide the Navy with a long-range, stealthy, autonomous underwater warfare capability “which can carry out persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and attack,” the Australian Ministry of Defense said.
The country confirmed that the first production models of “ghost shark” will be delivered at the end of next year.
The specifications of the “ghost shark“, since both the authorities Australia as the manufacturer Anduril Australia They keep this information confidential, CNN noted.
That underwater drone It went from just an idea to the testing phase in two years. “Ahead of schedule and budget is unheard of,” Shane Arnott, senior vice president of engineering at Anduril, told reporters.
“The delivery of the first prototype of the ghost shark ahead of schedule sets a new standard for developing capabilities at the speed required,” Tanya Monro, Australia’s chief defense scientist, said in a statement.
Emma Salisburyfrom the British think tank Council on Geostrategy, told CNN that the ghost shark It looks a lot like the gigantic UUV Orca which is developing in U.S.
“I assume they are all intended for similar missions: intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and persistent strike capabilities, especially in the anti-submarine field,” Salisbury said.
The American Orca has been in development for more than a decade, according to the Navy statement, which contrasts with the speed with which Australia developed the “ghost shark”According to CNN.
Anduril Australia announced that the “ghost shark”It will be put up for sale as soon as it is incorporated into the Australian naval fleet.
In the United States, the company Northrop Grumman It’s in development”Manta ray”, a fish-shaped underwater drone whose prototype was tested in February and March off the coast of Southern California, reported CNN.
The Defense Advanced Research Products Agency (DARPA), the branch of the Pentagon responsible for developing new technologies, told CNN that the strength of “Manta ray” is its ability to change the payload depending on the mission.
According to Northrop Grumman, this underwater drone It can be disassembled and fit into five standard containers to be transported to the deployment site and reassembled in the field.
“The combination of modular transport between countries, field assembly and subsequent deployment demonstrates a unique capability for an extra-large UUV,” said Kyle Woerner, program manager. “Manta ray”at DARPA, in an agency press release cited by CNN.
Northrop Grumman also states that the “Manta ray” intends to be a autonomous vehicle for long duration underwater missions “where humans cannot reach.”
The vessel can anchor to the seabed and hibernate in low-power mode.
It can use the energy generated by sea waves to recharge its batteries, allowing it to operate without human intervention.
According to The Telegraph, defense analysts believe that the US Navy wants to develop drones of this type to combat Russian and Chinese underwater operations.
“Manta ray” began development in 2020 and DARPA He has not said when he will join the U.S. military fleet.
Emma Salisbury he said that China“main threat” to US forces in the Pacific, It is also making progress in the area of underwater drones.
“While details are scarce, as is the case with most of the Asian giant’s capabilities, They have been developing them for at least 15 years and they probably now have something similar to the Orca (but with torpedoes) in the testing phase,” he said.
The threat of China at sea led in 2021 to the announcement of the strategic pact called AUKUSfrom the English acronym of Australia, United Kingdom and United Stateswhich aims to “defend the common interests” of these powers in the Pacific Ocean.
China reported that AUKUS threatens to undermine regional peace and intensify the arms race in the region. Furthermore, he accused the three countries of maintaining an “obsolete mentality of Cold War”.
When AUKUS was announced, it was also agreed to provide a technology transfer to Australia.
Thus, in 2023 Navy personnel Australia began to be trained on board American and British nuclear-powered submarinesas well as its bases.
This with the aim of preparing human resources for the Transfer of Virginia-class nuclear submarines to the Australian Navy: The first three ships will arrive in the early 2030s and by 2040 the new fleet will be operational.
It will also design and build a new nuclear-powered submarine for the UK and Australian navies, a model to be called SSN-AUKUS.
The new generation of submarines will have a British design, with Rolls-Royce reactors, and will be built in the United Kingdom and Australia, but will use technology shared by the three Anglo-Saxon countries, BBC Mundo noted.
Under the terms of the agreement AUKUSfrom 2027 the United States and the United Kingdom will park a small amount of nuclear submarines near the city of Perth, Western Australia.
Western powers accuse China of increasing tensions over disputed territories in the Indo-Pacific.
Beijing claims almost the entire country as its own. South China Sea and under the command of the president Xi Jinping built everything from cities to airstrips in the area, from tourist facilities to infrastructure for military use on artificial islands, detailed BBC Mundo.
But these waters are also claimed by countries such as Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
