The US Coast Guard intercepted a 40-foot autonomous semi-submersible in international waters off Central America in 2015, then discovered more than 6 tons of cocaine (Photo: US Coast Guard).
The ship will participate in the upcoming Project Convergence exercise in California, USNI News quoted Lieutenant General Karsten Heckl, head of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command.
According to Mr. Heckl, this semi-submersible vessel is very affordable and has a shape that makes it difficult for radar. The US Marine Corps hopes to use this type of semi-submersible vessel to carry out logistics missions without being detected by the enemy.
The Marine Corps’ concept was inspired by semi-submersibles that gangs often use to smuggle drugs. Lt. Gen. Heckl pointed out that narco-submarines are low-slung, only surface very little, and have minimal wake, making them difficult for US authorities to detect.
Those stealth attributes could be an advantage when US ships operate in the Pacific , where supply routes are closely monitored by China using space, air and surface assets.
The prototype ship is also equipped with a pair of attack missiles developed for the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), an anti-ship missile system developed by the Marine Corps to support land-to-sea attacks.
Low-cost semi-submersibles have proven capable of transporting large amounts of cargo, and their size is increasing. In May 2023, the Colombian Navy seized a record-breaking drug submarine measuring 30 meters long and 3 meters wide.
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