South Korean company Hanwha Defense has unveiled a new unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) that is designed specifically for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations.
The unmanned platform, named ASWUUV, was shown in public for the first time during MADEX 2019 exhibition held at Busan in late October.
Hanwha’s ASWUUV development was revealed at MADEX 2019 in Busan. (Manash Pratim Boruah)
The ASWUUV has been under development by the Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND)’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) since 2017. Work is expected to be completed by 2022, with trials scheduled in 2021.
Hanwha officials told Jane’s that the ASWUUV will be approximately 7 m long and 1 m wide and will displace 3,000 kg. It will be capable of attaining a maximum speed of 7 kt and dive to a depth of 300 m.
The vehicle will be powered by fuel cells developed by local firm Bumhan Industries, which is claimed to offer an underwater endurance of 30 days. It is driven by a shrouded single propeller propulsion system.
The ASWUUV model displayed at MADEX 2019 featured a flank array sonar (FAS), as well as forward looking sonar (FLS) arrays for detection of underwater threats and obstacle avoidance.
Navigation data will be provided by a ring-laser inertial navigation system (INS). The design also incorporates an ultra-short baseline (USBL) system and an acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) to enhance navigational accuracy.
The model was also seen fitted with an acoustic transmission modem and GPS antennas on a retractable mast.
The ASWUUV is envisioned to be a node within a larger surveillance network, where it will operate in conjunction with other sensors deployed from coastal surveillance facilities, buoys, unmanned surface vehicles, and surface ships.
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