Submarines were a constant in most countries' arsenals throughout the history and evolution of naval warfare. Submarines are designed to protect ships at the sea and are highly efficient for their missions. However, the vulnerability of these boats has led to them being labeled "silent service." Today, the Navy has been working on a number of new submarine concepts. These new designs address some of those issues that submarines faced in the past.
The future submarine concept will be an automated, stealthy submarine that can fill many gaps in submarine operations. It could also be used to test new arrangements and host unmanned vehicles. It could also be used to fulfill time-consuming officer training tasks.
Rolls-Royce representatives and BAE Systems representatives met to discuss the Nautilus 100 concept. Participants were challenged by this project to imagine the future underwater warfare. The design of the ship includes an acrylic and alloy hull as well as unmanned armour eel-like. The design team also looked into innovative new technologies. The design also includes electronic graphene scales that allow the ship to transform into different shapes.
The Royal Navy in the United Kingdom is also working on future submarine designs. They have come up with a variety of ideas, including dissolving vessels, swarming fish inspired missiles and underwater vehicles shaped as manta rays. The submarine also features a hyperbaric chamber that allows divers to decompress.
Next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarines will focus less on land-attack and more heavily on deep-water antisubmarine operations. These submarines won't be used as much for Special Forces support, or inshore operations. The submarine will have a smaller crew to help with retention. These new submarines require maintenance and at-sea certificates to stay operational. These new submarines will be comparable to 1.8 single-crew SSNs during mission days.
The twin outboard pumpjet proulsors are one of these submarine designs' most striking features. Nearly all new submarine designs in the past had a single propeller at the center. This required the removal of the stern-aspect missile rooms from the vessel's design. The advantage of this design is that it would allow the installation of a special forces chamber within the flank weapon module.
British BAE Systems’ concept includes twin faired-in pumpsjets, aft tanks of ballast and a diving chamber that can also be used for diver compression. The design also includes a laying area for casualty handling. The Sperm Whale also inspired this design. It will be on display at Paris' Euronaval show.
A Concept of Operations (CONOPS) is another concept that can be used to deploy small littoral subs in theaters. This design attempts to overcome the speed disadvantages inherent in conventional boats. It is deployed from forward-operating bases. The submarine is designed to carry multiple Swimmer Delivery Vehicles. The submarine has a turtle-back design to permit it to quickly escape from a capsize.