[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] AI Submarines Coming Soon

The United States is proceeding with the 'CLAWS' project, which plans to develop unmanned AI submarines by 2020. (Photo by Boeing)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Navies around the world are accelerating the development of unmanned artificial intelligence (AI) submarines following unmanned submarines.

According to foreign media on the 14th, British First Sea Lord Admiral Antony Radakin announced at the International Navy Underwater Operations Conference (UDT) held in London on the 27th of last month, "The Royal Navy has signed a contract with the defense security promotion agency DASA and the defense company MSubs in Plymouth to expand the existing 9m S201 unmanned submarine to a 30m unmanned submarine. MSubs plans to deliver the first prototype to the Royal Navy by 2021 for 1 billion pounds."

As underwater threats from neighboring countries increased, the Royal Navy has been promoting the construction of a new Dreadnought-class nuclear submarine (17,000 tons) since 2013 to replace the Vanguard-class nuclear submarine (15,000 tons). They initially planned to build conventional diesel submarines, but due to budget issues, they shifted to developing unmanned submarines.

The unmanned submarine being developed by the UK is 30 meters long, 3 meters wide, with a cruising underwater range of about 3,000 miles. It is about ten times larger than the unmanned submarines used by the Royal Navy for mine countermeasure (MCM) operations. If the Royal Navy succeeds in developing the unmanned submarine, it will become the first country in the world to form a fleet of underwater unmanned submarines.

Following unmanned submarines, the development of unmanned AI submarines is also gaining momentum. China plans to develop unmanned AI submarines as early as 2021, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. These unmanned AI submarines are expected to be deployed intensively in international dispute areas such as the South China Sea and the Western Pacific, where China is competing for hegemony with the United States.

Currently, the Chinese military possesses unmanned submarines, but most are too small and require other warships or submarines for deployment and retrieval, limiting their operational capabilities. The unmanned AI submarines being developed by China will be comparable in size to conventional submarines and can be equipped with high-performance reconnaissance equipment, torpedoes, and missiles. Moreover, with AI applied, they can autonomously change routes to avoid detection by the enemy, distinguish between enemy warships and civilian vessels, and select the optimal route to reach their destination. Unmanned AI submarines can perform reconnaissance, mine laying, ambush operations, and can also be used as decoys to lure enemy attacks. Furthermore, they may carry out kamikaze-style suicide attacks on aircraft carriers and cruisers.

The United States also plans to develop unmanned AI submarines by 2020. The project is named 'CLAWS.' The CLAWS project is top secret, and aside from the plan to introduce sensors and algorithm technology into unmanned submarines to autonomously perform complex missions such as anti-submarine escape, few details have been disclosed. The US has commissioned Lockheed Martin and Boeing to develop unmanned AI submarines. Boeing's unmanned submarine is 15 meters long with a diameter of 2.6 meters and can dive to depths of 3,000 meters. It can operate for several months with a navigation range of 12,000 km and has a top speed of 15 km/h. It is also equipped with 12 torpedo tubes.

One of the strengths of unmanned submarines is that they do not require facilities for human crew boarding and safety, making construction costs very low. The development and construction cost of 12 next-generation Columbia-class manned submarines to be delivered to the US Navy by the early 2020s is a staggering 120 billion dollars (approximately 135 trillion won).

In contrast, the development cost of the unmanned submarine being developed by Lockheed Martin is only 40 million dollars (approximately 45 billion won). However, considering that there are no crew members to repair malfunctions during navigation, there are concerns that the operational capabilities of unmanned submarines may be limited.