The need to deploy the capacity to secure the underwater domain is becoming an increased area of focus for navies across the globe. MDM discussed recent trends in the sector with Chris Tucker from Systems Engineering and Assessment Ltd (SEA), a subsidiary of British defence technology company, Cohort Plc
MDM: The importance of being able to deploy effective anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities has returned to prominence in recent years. Could you provide SEA’s assessment of the key factors that have been driving the underwater domain’s increased relevance?
SEA: The increased relevance of the underwater domain has been driven by three key factors.
First, the strategic advantage of operating underwater is increasing as navies of all sizes continue to grow their fleets. Submarines are increasingly being used for intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and special operations, and this heightened undersea activity underscores the need for effective ASW capabilities to maintain situational awareness and protect critical assets.
Next, as more countries develop these submarine capabilities, the threat is developing and changing all the time. This means submarine technology has advanced significantly, making modern submarines stealthier, faster, and more capable. They can operate at greater depths and for longer durations, making them harder to detect and track.
And lastly, the increased susceptibility of subsea critical national infrastructure has led to increased demand for ASW capabilities. Moreover, the protection of sea lines of communication (SLOCs) is vital for global trade and economic prosperity. Submarines can disrupt these routes by attacking merchant vessels, necessitating robust ASW measures to safeguard maritime commerce.
Credit: SEA
MDM: What, in SEA’s opinion, are the key technological changes that are impacting ASW operations? How are these different, for example, from the technology impacting ASW during the Cold War era?
SEA: The vast amount of data is certainly one of the key differences between the Cold War era and the present day. As ASW systems onboard traditional naval platforms have become more capable, the amount of data presented to operators and the command chain has increased, making decision making more difficult.
Additionally, the advancement of uncrewed vessels means more sensors in the ocean, further increasing the amount of data and the complexity of decision making. Correct implementation and use of autonomy and edge processing is going to be vital to both the operation of autonomous vessels and the processing of these large data sets in order to aid effective decision making.
MDM: The increased prevalence of unmanned and autonomous vehicles is certainly regarded as having a significant impact across the naval ‘battlefield’. Could you provide some further insights as to how such vehicles are impacting ASW technology?
SEA: Uncrewed and autonomous vehicles are improving ASW technology; enhancing sensor coverage, improving detection and tracking capabilities and enabling autonomous decision-making.
The majority of autonomous platforms are intended to provide persistence. However, because they are also typically small, the ability to hold large energy stores is limited. Power density is increasing through the development of commercial low carbon technologies but there will still be a need for efficient low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) sensor technology. This is starting to be seen within ASW technology, thereby enabling autonomous vehicles to host persistent sensor capabilities.
MDM: The greater emphasis being given to securing the underwater environment presents particular challenges to navies that have not fielded ASW and underwater situational awareness technology in the past. Broadly speaking, what options are available for such fleets?
SEA: Other than building a dedicated fleet of ASW vessels, two main options are available to navies for short to medium term adoption of ASW capabilities. They can adapt their existing fleet to include ASW operation. This is one of the advantages of SEA’s KraitSense ASW system – described further below – which has been designed to give non-specialist platforms a leading ASW capability. The alternative is to adopt uncrewed solutions. These are lower in cost but currently pose a higher risk due to their lack of maturity.
Credit: US Navy
MDM: SEA is widely recognised as having particular strengths in the area of underwater situational awareness. Can you explain the technology SEA offers in this area and the operational advantages it brings?
SEA: Utilising our decades of knowledge and experience in the underwater domain, SEA has developed a suite of low SWaP ASW and underwater situational awareness (UWSA) technologies for both crewed and uncrewed vessels. For example, the KraitSense system consists of a small footprint launch and recovery system and other inboard components for the operation of a thin line towed array known as KraitArray. KraitSense has been specifically designed to enable smaller vessels within a navy’s fleet to be fitted with ASW and UWSA capabilities, as well as being capable of being retrofitted to vessels which already have a comprehensive sensor fitment and where space is therefore likely to be at a premium.
The KraitArray and KraitSense system has also been designed to be operational from uncrewed vessels, as demonstrated in recent years during trials upon many uncrewed surface and underwater vessels such as the United Kingdom’s extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV). The use of common array and processing technology means than a navy can have a common ASW sensor and UWSA outfit for both their crewed and uncrewed vessels, reducing the cost of adoption and through life costs. This also enables navies to increase their effective area of operation, increase detection range, and provide a higher level of persistence.
SEA also launched KraitOptimise at DSEI last year. The latest member of the Krait family of anti-submarine technology is an USWA tool which enables users to evaluate key environmental factors that can affect sonar performance through simple and intuitive visualisation of complex environmental data. The information the system provides can inform operators of the best place to locate sensors to maximise sonar performance and identify potential locations where threats may be hiding.
MDM: Has SEA learned any particular lessons from the naval war between Russia and Ukraine?
SEA: There are clear lessons to be taken from analysing the current conflict between Russian and Ukraine. One of the most significant – and of relevance to our specialism – has been the emergence of the effective use of uncrewed naval platforms. Ukraine has had to very quick in adopting a level of trust in these types of systems and it has paid dividends for them. This should be an example to industry and navies. By trialling and using these systems, there are very swift lessons to be learned that can also achieve an operational solution in a quicker timeframe than traditional means.
Credit: SEA
MDM: What developing factors are likely to influence control over the underwater battlefield in the medium to longer term?
SEA: Operational use; maritime safety; electromagnetic spectrum control; uncrewed platform and sensor payload security; underwater communications; and artificial intelligence (AI) are all key factors which will influence the direction and pace of development in the underwater domain. Only through the trialling of solutions and the development of effective partnerships between industry, customers and nations will these factors be understood and managed.
Amongst these factors, the progression and successful implementation of AI looks set to be one of the most significant. AI-powered systems can enhance situational awareness by analysing vast amounts of sensor data from various sources, doing so in real-time in order to provide enhanced situational awareness to naval commanders and enable better decision making and control of the underwater battlefield.
Credit: SEA
AI is also powering predictive analysis, reviewing historical data and predicting potential submarine movements, tactics, and patterns based on machine learning algorithms. This predictive analysis can help naval forces anticipate and counteract enemy submarine threats more effectively.
