Hudson Institute Events Podcast The Future of Autonomous Undersea Warfare
Mar 28, 2025
Matt Britton, hardware lead on sensors and EW for uncrewed systems. Duane Fotheringham, industry lead on submarine-launched and modular UUV platforms. Admiral Rob Goucher, commander of U.S. Submarine Forces integrating uncrewed systems. They discuss submarine-launched UUVs, launch and recovery challenges, open architectures and shared payloads, EW and RF missions, communications and edge processing, and allied interoperability.
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Submarine Launch Trades Endurance For Tactical Advantage
- Submarine-launched UUVs trade payload/endurance for proximity and environmental awareness provided by the host submarine.
- That proximity enables shorter missions (24–72 hours) with better navigation, comms, and mission context than long-range UUVs.
Iterate Capability In Small, Testable Steps
- Take a stepped approach: start with point-to-point transit, then add payloads, navigation, and command-and-control iteratively.
- Use human-in-the-loop initially and introduce AI/ML gradually as trust and capability grow.
UUVs Expand Submarine Access Into New Water Columns
- Sub-launched UUVs open access to shallow, very deep, and otherwise restricted water-column layers that crewed subs cannot reach.
- This expands submarine mission options without risking crew or submarine survivability.