back to article New Navy SEAL minisub's IT-system specs released

The secretive US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has revealed the data-handling features it would like to see on its planned new fleet of mini submarines for use by elite US Navy frogman-commandos. At the moment, the famous yet hush-hush Navy SEALs use the Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Mark 8 Mod 1, a large electrically- …

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  1. Herby

    One word:

    Somalia. Right now!

  2. James

    Pirates?

    Would this be an option to get teams onto high profile ships (eg. Sirius Star) to potentially free them from pirates?

    eg. sail(?) to the ship in distress undetected underwater and use some climbing gear to get up.

  3. bill

    "plug & play"

    aaaaargh, I hope that Microsoft and HP didn't get together and create the spec for a plug and play USB Periscope.. SEALS are expensive to train... just to put them in a little blind can, having to resolve, reboot, download software for the system and hope the periscope works, while trying to compleat the mission.... a large wooden barrel painted bright orange, with loud dangling bells might be safer

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    re: USB periscope

    I think Firebox already sell those

  5. Richard Silver badge

    PCI-Express, 100Base-T and VGA

    Those are published standards with a huge installed base, known reliability, and low-cost licencing.

    Can I have a few million dollars now?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Minivan for girls

    UK (and most european) special forces use the torpedo tubes.

    The US navy doesn't allow this (or SEALS are too fat) so they need a special bolt-on minivan

  7. John Smith Gold badge
    Coat

    Proving most screw ups occur in the concept phase

    Lets carry a minisub held on only at the docking collar of a nuclear submarine at full speed with no external shelter. We'll make it dry so it can't be flooded to equalise pressure with the outside as well.

    Water pressure increases 1 atmosphere for every 10m of depth. I'm guessing that one of these nuclear powered mother subs can go a *lot* faster than and dive a *lot* deeper than than their planned ASDV. The forces on any mechanical linkage (like the hydroplanes on the ADSV or between the sub and its docking collar) are likely to be *large*.

    So handicap the mother ship performance all the time or have it compensate for the nose weight of shelter + vehicle.

    A hugely ambitious upgrade program which is killed after swallowing vast expense and leads to reversion to much less ambitious version instead.

    Have the septics had someone on secondment from the MoD perchance?

    Mine will be the one with "Project Management for Dummies" in the pocket.

  8. John Smith Gold badge
    Boffin

    AC@22:44

    IIRC standard (and they have been since the time of Whitehead) Western torpedo tubes are 21" in diameter, that's a 65" waist. More than enough even for my less than sylph like figure. But what about the back pack? Is there a discrete "cough" of compressed air option on these things. I got the impression torpedo ejection is fairly violent.

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