Northrop Grumman Sea Ferret

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The Sea Ferret is a drone manufactured by Northrop Grumman that is primarily intended to be used for reconnaissance. The launch takes place from submerged submarines. The name literally means sea ​​ferret , in essence it should be a reference to ferret plane , a name for reconnaissance aircraft .

history

Development of the Sea Ferret began in 1991. The first test of the drone took place in December 1996. A launch from the submarine USS Asheville (SSN-758) was simulated, whereby the drone was actually mounted under a Cessna 206 . The submarine traveling to periscope depth then transmitted control commands to the drone, which received and confirmed them. Control was later passed to a United States Marine Corps team , and then to a simulated Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche group . The drone delivered target data from a power plant, an anti-aircraft missile battery and a radar station to the submarine.

The current status of the program is unknown.

technology

The drone is 75 inches (about 1.90 m) long and weighs 145 pounds. The Sea Ferret can reach speeds of over 300 knots, the minimum speed for the search flight is 80 knots. The range is 370 nautical miles, the drone can stay in the target area for up to two hours.

The Sea Ferret is launched from submerged submarines, which can also take control and receive data from the target area in real time. The launch takes place from a container, from which anti-ship missiles AGM-84 Harpoon are otherwise launched.

There are several sensors such as cameras on board, which can also be used in bad weather. Armament is of secondary importance, with the option of carrying a 20 pound warhead.

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