Seeker XLUUV: Can Unmanned Submarines Fill the U.S. Navy’s Growing Undersea Gap?
TAMPA, FL – With the U.S. submarine industrial base straining to sustain output, questions are mounting over whether autonomous platforms could bridge an emerging capability gap. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) now commissions nine submarines a year — three conventional and six nuclear-powered. By contrast, the U.S. Navy is averaging barely 1.3 nuclear-powered boats…