On April 29, CCTV Military reported that the world's first high-speed submersible unmanned boat, "Blue Whale", was launched in Zhuhai on the 28th and is expected to be officially put into practical use next year.

(The world's first high-speed submersible unmanned boat "Blue Whale" was launched)

According to official media reports, this "Blue Whale" unmanned boat is no ordinary vessel. Its surface speed can reach 36 knots, equivalent to about 66 kilometers per hour, with a continuous navigation range of hundreds of kilometers. Moreover, the "Blue Whale" can also navigate underwater like a submarine, with a minimum diving depth of tens of meters. If it remains stationary submerged, it can stay hidden for over a month, and it can survive in harsh typhoon conditions.

(The "Blue Whale" can also navigate underwater like a submarine)

The official media introduced that the "Blue Whale" is used for meteorological detection, underwater landform mapping, and a series of scientific research tasks.

However, I would like to explore some military application scenarios for such high-speed submersible unmanned boats like the "Blue Whale".

Last year at the Zhuhai Airshow, the military publicly displayed the 420-ton "Orca" stealth unmanned combat boat, which has given people new thoughts about future naval warfare.

(The large "Orca" unmanned combat boat)

The "Orca" is equipped with a 4-cell HT1 vertical launch system capable of firing various missiles, such as the YJ-83, YJ-18A, as well as the HHQ-9 air defense missile and Yu-8 torpedoes. In short, the "Orca" unmanned boat is essentially an unmanned, miniaturized warship. However, due to its small displacement, it is difficult to carry out combat missions independently and usually needs to work in conjunction with other vessels such as the 052D destroyer, 054A frigate, 022 missile boat, and 037I patrol boat.

If the "Orca" were paired with a good partner like the "Blue Whale", forming an unmanned fleet, the situation would be different. For example, in the Nansha sea area with numerous islands and reefs, such high-speed submersible unmanned boats could be massively deployed and remain submerged for long periods. Once any situation arises, they can promptly communicate with nearby "Orca" or unmanned undersea vehicles and surface ships. Without exaggeration, the widespread deployment of such unmanned boats could "significantly weaken" the U.S. advantages in the Asia-Pacific region.

(The "Blue Whale" can remain submerged for long periods)

For instance, the U.S. has deployed "HIMARS" in the Ryukyu Islands and NMESIS anti-ship missiles in the Philippines, and is crazily deploying missiles to "blockade" China. Therefore, we adopt the opposite strategy, using underwater unmanned forces to "blockade" these islands or block key waterways, making the U.S. encirclement plan fall apart by itself.

It is worth mentioning that the public release of the "Nine Heavens" drone carrier signifies the realization of "swarm drone" operations; the unveiling of machine dogs, tiger robots, wolf robots, unmanned combat vehicles, and the ongoing development of humanoid robots means that ground-based "unmanned legions" are basically taking shape... The "Orca" and "Blue Whale" type unmanned boats provide new directions for China's development of new underwater forces.

(The "Nine Heavens" drone carrier)

In the future, is there a possibility of developing an unmanned boat carrier similar to the "Nine Heavens" swarm drone carrier? I believe so. And this unmanned boat carrier should be able to not only move at high speeds on the water but also navigate underwater and remain stationary submerged. In combat, it should release unmanned underwater vehicles and suicide unmanned combat boats like launching torpedoes. Finally, we wish the "Blue Whale" a successful practical application soon, adding bricks to oceanic science and technology exploration.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498650374623019572/

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