As the Chinese military expands its autonomous underwater capabilities, the US Coast Guard is seeking new ways to counter undersea drones, highlighting what analysts describe as a gap in America’s defence.
The law enforcement agency said it was requesting information on commercially available systems capable of detecting, tracking and disabling unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).
While the July 24 notice does not mention China, it comes less than a year after Beijing unveiled several uncrewed maritime systems during a military parade, including the HSU-001 large underwater vehicle and the AJX-002 extra-large underwater vehicle. Beijing said all the weapons displayed in the September parade had already entered service.
The HSU-001 is widely believed to be intended for lengthy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Far less is known about the larger AJX-002, but its size has led analysts to assess that it could carry heavier payloads and operate over much greater distances than smaller counterparts.
While technologies to detect and track UUVs already exist, the US Coast Guard said there were few tried-and-true systems to stop them once they had been identified. It is therefore seeking solutions that have already been tested – and preferably fielded – rather than concepts still under development.
The service said underwater drones were becoming increasingly common in civilian and military operations because they could operate covertly for long periods. It warned they could be used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, smuggling, sabotage or attacks on ships and ports.