U.S Navy to get mine killing drone by 2016

For almost as long as there have been Navies there have been underwater mines. The first mines were probably an iron vessels filled with gunpowder used in 14^th century China. Over the centuries naval mines haven't changed much other they have become bigger, harder to detect and more sophisticated at detonation.

Whether it was those or the more modern underwater mines avoiding them or destroying them safely has always been a big problem. The United States Navy is on a solution this problem. By sometime in 2016 they expect to have the first prototype of their 40-foot surface skimming drone that will seek out and destroy underwater mines safely.

“UISS is a program to satisfy the Navy’s need for rapid, wide-area mine-clearance capability to neutralize magnetic and acoustic mines. We can hunt for mines, sweep mines and neutralize them,” Captain David Honabach explained.

The 40-foot unmanned vessel will be designed to launch from the back of the navy's Littoral combat ship (LCS). Once the drone is launch it trolls a underwater cable that mimics resonance and magnetic pull of a warship. The mines are fooled into thinking the drone is its target and therefore allowing the drone to dentenated the mine while the rest of the navy is watching from a safe distance.

“Mines have different triggers. Some mines will detonate with an acoustic trigger and some with a magnetic trigger – and some with both. We generate a magnetic field that emulates a warship and we acoustically emulate a warship,” Capt. Honabach said. “We use a Mark 104 acoustic generator and a magnetic cable that trails behind the boat with an electric current that passes through it.”

In September of this year contractor Textron Systems was awarded a $118 million dollar contract to develop the drone within two year. They will then supply the United States Navy more of these vessels over the next 3 years.