Submarine-launched drones
United States "Black Wing" 10C UAV
Although the submersible aircraft carrier mentioned in the article is still in the theoretical stage, submarine-launched UAVs have become the focus of research and development of military powers, and the United States Navy has tested submarine-launched UAVs such as "Red Bream" and "Black Wing".
Military observer Cui Yiliang analyzed that submarine-launched UAVs have a limited role in improving the combat capability of the Navy in the future.
Cui Yiliang:
After the successful test of the "Red Bream" UAV, the United States developed the "Black Wing" UAV on this basis. The "Black Wing" UAV is small in size, with a combat radius of about 10 kilometers, which can effectively improve the surface vision of submarines. However, in order to effectively receive reconnaissance data transmitted back by UAVs, a communication mast needs to be exposed to the water, which increases the safety risk of the submarine.
Equipping a submarine-launched UAV is equivalent to "fitting a pair of glasses" to a submarine with "high myopia", however, this is far from enough.
Submersible aircraft carriers
Japan I-400 submarines
Cui Yiliang pointed out that the diving aircraft carrier is not a new thing, and the earliest "diving aircraft carrier" appeared in the late stage of World War II.
Cui Yiliang:
Japan once designed a type of submarine that could carry manned fighters, but it was not very effective to use.
If you expand the concept of aircraft from drones to everything that can fly, you will find that during the Cold War, both the Soviet Navy and the United States Navy tried this "way", that is, submarines equipped with cruise missiles - cruise missiles have a very long range, and their configuration is a small aircraft, but it is only a one-time use.
Underwater warfare
United States "Virginia" class attack nuclear submarines
Military observer Cui Yiliang analyzed the pain points of underwater warfare for a long time and introduced the development trend of underwater warfare.
Cui Yiliang:
There is a big pain point in underwater warfare, and the propagation attenuation of sound waves in the medium of water is very serious. When submarines are engaged in underwater operations, they are "highly short-sighted" and are in a state of "semi-deafness", and they must "deliver words" at close range before they can "hear," which leads to serious restrictions on the distance and effectiveness of underwater operations. In addition, the operational domain of underwater warfare is disconnected from other operational domains, and it cannot coordinate with the surface and air in real time, so it can only fight alone.
At present, on the eve of the "revolution" of underwater warfare, an underwater detection network can be formed through unmanned equipment underwater, on the surface, and even in the air, so as to solve the problems of detection and communications, so that the forces of underwater warfare can be integrated into the situation of joint operations on the surface, in the air, and under the water.