The Pentagon’s research arm is extending testing of its sub-hunting drone able to travel autonomously for up to 90 days using sensors and sonar technology to search for enemy submarines and other airborne and undersea threats.

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, or DARPA, has awarded an $8.5 million contract extension to Reston, Virginia-based Leidos for continued test phase development of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel, or ACTUV program.

The 132-foot drone uses advanced hydro-acoustics, pattern recognition and algorithms for unmanned navigation to locate and shadow diesel-electric enemy submarines. The idea is to track them, if necessary, over a period of months so they are compelled to stay away from strategically vital areas.

Testing of the sea drone is designed to demonstrate the capability of the ACTUV system to use its unique characteristics to employ non-conventional sensor technologies that achieve robust continuous tracking of the quietest submarine targets, a statement for DARPA ACTUV program manager Scott Littlefield said.

DARPA officials also say the objective of the ACTUV is to generate a vessel design that exceeds state-of-the art platform performance to provide propulsive overmatch against diesel-electric submarines at a fraction of their size and cost.

Picking up the quiet hum of a battery-powered, diesel-electric submarine in busy coastal waters is “like trying to identify the sound of a single car engine in the din of a major city,” Rear Adm. Frank Drennan, commander of the Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command, stated on the Leidos website.

The ACTUV’s use of sonar is also designed to limit risks to the marine ecosystems and undersea life such as whales.

The submarine-hunting drone ship was christened this past April and, according to a recent story in Defense Systems, recently tested its first payload.

“The first payload deployed by the unmanned ASW (anti-submarine warfare) ship was its Towed Airborne Lift of Naval Systems (TALONS) sensor suite, which carries intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors up to altitudes ranging from 150 to 1,500 feet,” a report in Defense Systems by George Leopold explains.

Using an airborne platform can further expand the mission set of the drone ship by integrating additional surface and air-oriented ISR assets.

The Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office, DARPA and the Office of Naval Research have been emphasizing the development of Unmanned Surface Vehicles, or USVs. It is anticipated that this emerging technology, bringing autonomy to surface operations, could substantially change amphibious operations and naval maritime tactics. The concept is to limit risk to people by using drone-ships to perform essential missions such as  forward-locating sensors, delivering equipment and supplies, launching swarming small boat attacks and further dispersing the fleet.

Kris Osborn became the Managing Editor of Scout Warrior in August of 2015. His role with Scout.com includes managing content on the Scout Warrior site and generating independently sourced original material. Scout Warrior is aimed at providing engaging, substantial military-specific content covering a range of key areas such as weapons, emerging or next-generation technologies and issues of relevance to the military. Just prior to coming to Scout Warrior, Osborn served as an Associate Editor at the Military.com. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army - Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at CNN and CNN Headline News. This story originally appeared in Scout Warrior. 

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