The Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS) is a manned

submersible A submersible is a small watercraft designed to operate underwater. The term "submersible" is often used to differentiate from other underwater vessels known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully self-sufficient craft, capable of ind ...

and a type of

swimmer delivery vehicle A diver propulsion vehicle (DPV), also known as an underwater propulsion vehicle, sea scooter, underwater scooter, or swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV) by armed forces, is an item of diving equipment used by scuba divers to increase range underw ...

that is planned to be used to deliver

United States Navy SEAL The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...

s and their equipment for special operations missions. It will replace the current Mark 8

SEAL Delivery Vehicle The SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) is a crewed submersible and a type of swimmer delivery vehicle used to deliver United States Navy SEALs and their equipment for special operations missions. It is also operated by the Royal Navy's Special Boat S ...

. The Navy planned to introduce the SWCS in 2018, although "slippage in the development" has delayed its introduction until 2019. , two subs have been delivered to the Navy while another two were in production. The SWCS will serve alongside the

Dry Combat Submersible The Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) is a midget submarine designed and manufactured for USSOCOM by MSubs Ltd, a UK company located in Plymouth, Devon. MSubs is wholly owned by Submergence Group LLC, a Texas-based company that provides the linkages i ...

(DCS), a

midget submarine A midget submarine (also called a mini submarine) is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, ...

with a dry interior being developed by

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

as a replacement for the cancelled Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS).

History

The SWCS program was initiated in 2008, after the cancellation of the ASDS, the anticipated replacement for the SEAL Delivery Vehicle.

Teledyne Brown Engineering Teledyne Technologies Incorporated is an American industrial conglomerate. It was founded in 1960, as Teledyne, Inc., by Henry Singleton and George Kozmetsky. From August 1996 to November 1999, Teledyne existed as part of the conglomerate Al ...

was awarded the $383 million contract to develop the SWCS in 2011, which provides for the construction of 10 submersibles and one training vessel, the first of which was supposed to enter service in 2018. However, delays and cost overruns began as early as 2015, leading Congress to halve the funds available for the program in the FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act. , the prototype boat had been built and was undergoing testing, while introduction was pushed back to 2019. By October, two subs had been delivered to the Navy. In September 2018 the

Defense Security Cooperation Agency The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), as part of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), provides financial and technical assistance, transfer of defense matériel, training and services to allies, and promotes military-to-milita ...

notified Congress of the possible sale of 3 SWCSs to the United Kingdom for a total of $90 million.

Design

The SWCS is longer and taller than its predecessor, the Mark 8 SDV. The SWCS will have a longer range and higher payload capacity than its predecessor. As such, it will also be about heavier than its predecessor. Its hull is made from aluminum. The SWCS will also have more advanced computer systems and better navigation, with new systems including a "sensor mast" with an electro-optical

periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...

, wireless and wired communication between crew members,

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...

detectors, and sonar-assisted automatic docking. The computer bus and sensor mast are designed as modular systems so that individual sensors or systems can be swapped out as required by an individual mission and upgraded as desired. Like its predecessor, the SWCS will carry six SEALs: a pilot, a co-pilot/navigator, and four passengers. The SWCS can be deployed from surface ships, land, and

Dry Deck Shelter A dry deck shelter (DDS) is a removable module that can be attached to a submarine to allow divers easy exit and entrance while the boat is submerged. The host submarine must be specially modified to accommodate the DDS, with the appropriate mating ...

s (DDS) on submarines, although the third option is preferred for stealth reasons. Compared to the DCS it will serve alongside, the SWCS will be able to enter areas that the DCS cannot. It will also be deployable from submarines, a capability that the DCS lacked as of 2015. The SWCS's larger dimensions will require expanding the DDS to accommodate it. The Navy plans to lengthen the DDS by and triple its weight capacity. SWCS pool testing

References

{{Underwater diving, divequ Submarines of the United States Navy United States Navy SEALs Wet subs Midget submarines