USS Delaware
US Navy Virginia-class attack submarine (SSN-791) used to demonstrate torpedo-tube launch and recovery of the REMUS 600 UUV.
Last refreshed: 29 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How does USS Delaware's REMUS 600 trial change what allied submarine fleets need to buy?
Timeline for USS Delaware
Provided torpedo-tube launch and recovery demonstration for REMUS 600 UUV
Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: US prime digs into UK seabed war- What type of submarine is USS Delaware?
- USS Delaware (SSN-791) is a Virginia-class fast-attack nuclear-powered submarine of the United States Navy, commissioned in 2020 and assigned to The Atlantic Fleet.
- What did USS Delaware demonstrate with a REMUS drone?
- In May 2026, USS Delaware launched and recovered a REMUS 600 uncrewed underwater vehicle through its torpedo tube while submerged, demonstrating that a Virginia-class submarine can deploy and retrieve a UUV without surfacing.Source: Naval News
- Why is launching a drone from a submarine torpedo tube significant?
- Torpedo-tube launch and recovery allows a submarine to deploy autonomous sensor and mine-hunting systems without surfacing or using a surface support vessel, preserving the submarine's stealth while extending its reach as a forward reconnaissance platform.Source: Naval News
Background
USS Delaware (SSN-791) is a Virginia-class fast-attack submarine of the United States Navy, commissioned in 2020 and assigned to The Atlantic Fleet. In May 2026 it served as the platform for a landmark torpedo-tube launch and recovery demonstration of a REMUS 600 uncrewed underwater vehicle, confirming that a Virginia-class submarine can deploy and retrieve a UUV while submerged. This is the integration step that converts a submarine from a platform that carries weapons to one that can also forward-deploy autonomous sensor systems without surfacing.
Virginia-class submarines are the US Navy's primary fast-attack boat, built for undersea warfare, intelligence gathering, and special operations support. They have large-diameter torpedo tubes designed to launch Cruise Missiles and torpedoes, and the same tubes are being adapted for UUV launch and recovery as the fleet integrates autonomous systems. USS Delaware is not uniquely specialised for UUV operations; its use in the REMUS 600 demonstration reflects the broader Virginia-class fleet's evolving role as a UUV carrier.
For allied navies watching the demonstration at Combined Naval Event 2026, the USS Delaware trial sets the operational reference point for what submarine-launched UUV integration looks like in practice, at a pace that will influence procurement timelines across NATO.
