US Navy developing fleet of drone ‘mother submarines’ that can release smaller robots to lay mines or launch missiles to counter China threat
US defence secretary Ashton Carter hinted at using them in disputed sea
Their initial function would be surveillance but they could have other uses
Drone subs can operate in shallow water where manned submarines can’t
Would help Pentagon keep step ahead of military rivals China and Russia
By KATE SAMUELSON
DailyMail.com
18 April 2016
The Pentagon’s once-secret submarine drones programme is being discussed in the open, with US defence secretary Ashton Carter hinting at their potential use in the disputed South China Sea.
Surveillance is the initial function of these unmanned, undersea vehicles, which can operate in shallow water ‘where manned submarines cannot’.
There are also plans to create a ‘Russian doll’ or ‘mother’ sub, which could release a number of far smaller drones to be mines, trackers or missile launchers, reports the Financial Times.
The US military hopes the drone development would deter China from dominating the South China Sea.
The countries of the South China Sea have long claimed rights to disputed international waters, but as its economic strength has grown, an increasingly confident China has built military bases on artificial islands and militarized one of the disputed Paracel Islands.
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