Special Operations Command has contracted Lockheed Martin to provide midget submarines to support US Navy SEALs. The contract, worth $166 million, is for 3 Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) submarines.
The DCS is strictly a transportation submarine, capable of carrying six or more SEALs. The most recent prototype can travel up to 60 nautical miles at a depth of 190 feet. The subs will be delivered in 2018 and 2019, and are expected to serve for several decades.
Mini-submarines are used to infiltrate hostile areas with accessible coastlines. SEALs reportedly infiltrated Somalia in 2003 using mini-subs. They would also be useful in countries such as North Korea, Pakistan, China, or even Russia.
Midget submarines are typically ferried across long distances by larger submarines modified to carry them. The cruise missile submarines Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Georgia can carry them, as can five submarines of the Virginia-class of attack submarines.
Via Defensetech
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
