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MK18 Kingfish UUV
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Kingfish UUV deployed to US fleet
The US
Navy has deployed the MK18 Mod 2
Kingfish underwater unmanned vehicle for operations in the 5th Fleet area
of responsibility, following more than 30 sorties over 15 days of mock
deployment testing in the Gulf of Mexico, the US Navy announced.
Kingfish
is an autonomous underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) used by the US Navy for mine
detection missions with an improved endurance and area coverage rate that
replaces the in-theater Swordfish system.
These UUVs
are pre-programmed and designed to scan waters for targets or threats while
offering sailors faster post-mission analysis using the Navy's Mine Warfare and
Environmental Decision Library (MEDAL) and Command Operations Interference Navy
(COIN) systems.
Test lead
Amanda Mackintosh said the mock deployment began May 6 and was conducted in
areas over 20 nautical miles from the Panama City Beach shoreline, launching
UUVs from an 11-meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat which is how the system will
be used in theater.
"Missions
went very smoothly. The mock deployment was conducted in realistic environments
and where there was greater risk reduction for deployment," she said.
"We didn't experience any vehicle failures and we ran three and sometimes
four vehicles for eight hours per day for the 15 days."