Navy to deploy new UUV capability on submarines
The U.S. Navy has announced the future deployment of a torpedo-tube launch-and-recovery (TTL&R) uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) on an operational submarine, set to commence by the end of 2024.
Historically, submarines have utilized UUVs, but the new TTL&R system will simplify deployment and retrieval, enhancing the submarine's capability, reach, and maneuverability in underwater operations.
Vice Admiral Rob Gaucher, Commander of Submarine Forces for the U.S. Navy, revealed at the Combined Naval Event 2024, Farnborough, UK, that the USS Delaware would be the first submarine to install and deploy this new UUV capability. "We’re going to install UUVs on a submarine, USS Delaware, starting in a couple of weeks, and they will deploy by the end of the year," he stated. The USS Delaware, a Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) commissioned in April 2020, is the 18th in a planned fleet of 66 Virginia-class hulls.