【E】无人潜航器与导弹潜艇技术运作协同

UNMANNEDUNDERSEAVEHICLESANDGUIDEDMISSILESUBMARINES:TechnologicalandOperationalSynergiesbyEdwardA.Johnson,Jr.,Commander,U.S.NavyFebruary2002OccasionalPaperNo.27CenterforStrategyandTechnologyAirWarCollegeAirUniversityMaxwellAirForceBase,AlabamaUnmannedUnderseaVehiclesandGuidedMissileSubmarines:TechnologicalandOperationalSynergiesEdwardA.Johnson,Jr.,Commander,U.S.NavyFebruary2002TheOccasionalpapersserieswasestablishedbytheCenterforStrategyandTechnologyasaforumforresearchontopicsthatreflectlong-termstrategicthinkingabouttechnologyanditsimplicationsforU.S.nationalsecurity.CopiesofNo.27inthisseriesareavailablefromtheCenterforStrategyandTechnology,AirWarCollege,325ChennaultCircle,MaxwellAFB,Alabama36112.Thefaxnumberis(334)953-6158;phone[phone].OccasionalPaperNo.27CenterforStrategyandTechnologyAirUniversityMaxwellAirForceBase,Alabama36112ContentsPageDisclaimer…………………………………………………………….…...iI.Introduction…………………………………………………………….1II.UnderstandingUnmannedUnderseaVehicles…………….……….….5III.ThePathtotheFuture:AnIllustrativeUnmannedUnderseaSys…..11IV.UnmannedUnderseaSystems:RolesandMissions………………..17V.Conclusion…………………………………………………………...25Notes……………………………………………………………………..27DisclaimerTheviewsexpressedinthispublicationarethoseoftheauthoranddonotreflecttheofficialpolicyorpositionoftheDepartmentofDefense,theUnitedStatesGovernment,oroftheAirUniversityCenterforStrategyandTechnology.iUnmannedUnderseaVehicles…1I.IntroductionDuringtheColdWartheUnitedStatesdevelopedtheTridentclassballisticmissilesubmarine(SSBN)toreplacetheagingfleetofforty-onePoseidonballisticmissilesubmarines.EachoftheeighteenTridentclasssubmarinesbuilttocarrythemantleofstrategicnucleardeterrencewasextremelylargeandquietwithtubesfortwenty-fourballisticmissiles.FollowingthebreakupoftheSovietUnionandtheendoftheColdWar,theUnitedStatesconductedareviewofitsnuclearposture,whichdeterminedthatonlyfourteenofthesesubmarineswerenecessarytomeettheneedsofU.S.nationalsecurity.SincethesesubmarinesareduefornuclearcorerefuelingandoverhaulandthusarenolongerrequiredtosupportU.S.nuclearpolicy,thesesubmarineswillbedeactivatedorrefueledandconvertedtootherpurposes.Thesesubmarinesareonlyhalfwaythroughtheirdesignlifeofforty-twoyears,andoncerefueledcouldbeusedforothermissions.Furthermore,theirlargesizemakestheseshipsaprimecandidateforconversiontoalargevarietyofmissionsthatrequirespace,stealth,andendurance.ThisexcesscapabilityhasconvincedtheU.S.NavythatitshoulddevelopaconceptforconvertingthefirstfourTridentclassballisticmissilesubmarinesintoguidedmissilesubmarines(SSGN).Thisprogramwouldequipthesesubmarinesbothforcruisemissileoperationsandasspecialoperationsforceinsertionplatforms.Eachsubmarinecouldcarrymorethan100Tomahawkcruisemissilesanduptosixty-sixspecialoperationspersonnelwithdualDryDeckShelterortwoAdvancedSEALDeliverySystemmini-submarinesforSEALdeployment.1WhilenotcurrentlybeingprogrammedbytheU.S.Navy,Tridentsubmarinescouldalsobeconvertedtocarryunmannedunderseavehicles(UUVs).WhentheauthorhadanopportunityasDeputyCommanderofSubmarineSquadronSIXtoobserveanatseademonstrationofanUUV,theversatilityofthissystemwasstriking,andparalleledtheversatilityoftheunmannedaerialvehicles(UAVs)developedbytheU.S.AirForce.Forexample,thewarinKosovoprovidedthefirstopportunitytousethePredatorUAVwithalasertoidentifytargetsfrombelowthecloudsandguideprecisionmunitionsfromamannedaircraftabovethecloudstoUnmannedUnderseaVehicles…2destroyatarget.Thisuseofunmannedvehiclesistrulythewaveofthefuture.JustastheAirForceisdevelopingtheunmannedGlobalHawksystemsothatitcanperformautonomouscapabilities,theU.S.Navyisdevelopingavarietyofunmannedunderseasystemswithindependentqualitiesformanyoperationalroles.ThelargesizeoftheSSGNtorpedotubesenablestheuseoflargerandmoreversatileUUVs.InanysubmarinetheUUVmustbelaunchedandrecoveredfromthetorpedotubes,whichcanseverelylimititssize,weight,andcapacity.TheconceptofusingtheSSGNwithitslargerdiametertubestocontainUUVsoffersintriguingpossibilities.EachofthetwoconceptsfortheSSGNlargediameterandlonglengthmissiletubeswouldbeadequatetosupportarobustunmannedunderseavehiclesystem.Additionally,theSSGNwillbecapableofremainingonstationinanytheaterofoperationwhereitcancovertlyemployspecialoperationspersonnelorlaunchcruisemissilestrikesinsupportofnationalpolicy.IftheUUVsystemistobeuseful,itmustfulfillarequirementthatisnotbeingadequatelymetwiththecurrentcapabilitiesoftheSSGN.AnindigenousSEALteam,cruisemissiles,andcurrenttorpedo-launchedUUVsystemsleaveavoidincapabilities.SpecialOperationsForcesdeployedfromasubmarinecanperformmanyoperationsbutcannotsustaintheseactivitiesindefinitelyandcurrentunmannedsystemshavelimiteddurationandmissionradiusbecauseoftheirsmallsize.Thisoperationalnicheforlong-range,long-durationsmissionscanbefilledwithanewclassofautonomous(orsemi-autonomous)UUVsystemsthathaveimprovedloitertimes,andlatency.Thiswouldgivethemtheabilitytostayinoneplaceforextendedduration,ortheabilitytoremaindormantandactivatewhenrequired.Certainmissionscouldbemorepracticalandsafewithsuchasystem,andtherebyminimiz