NATO Tests New Torpedo Drone Named After Terminator

A quadcopter from BAE Systems fired an inactive Sting Ray anti-submarine torpedo during NATO's Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS) exercise. The drone from BAE Systems is called the T-600, which is also the name of the killer robot series from the Terminator film franchise. It can carry up to 200 kg of payload, Vice reports.

"The drone is equipped with an electric motor, capable of vertical take-off and landing, and travelling at speeds of up to 140 km/h. It also has a range of up to 80 km, depending on the payload. It is the size of a small car and is designed to be easily disassembled for transport. During a multinational exercise, the demonstrator model successfully launched an inert anti-submarine torpedo of the Sting Ray training variant for the first time during a flight mission at sea," BAE Systems said in a press release.

Despite the fact that such possibilities look exciting, such technologies are not new. As early as the 1950s, the Pentagon began using unmanned vehicles to drop torpedoes. Earlier, the United States used QH-50 DASH unmanned anti-ship helicopters for this purpose. The QH-50 DASH helicopter made its first flight in 1959 and remained in use by the US Navy until 1997.

"Unmanned aerial systems can be quickly launched and easily transported. They provide another option to protect high value assets and their crews from harm and will play an increasingly important role in mine countermeasures alongside traditional helicopters and mine countermeasures ships," said Dave Quick, head of underwater weapons at BAE Systems.

Unmanned systems were also used by the US Navy during the Vietnam War to conduct reconnaissance and deploy naval guns. They were even considered as a means of transporting and deploying nuclear depth charges.

It is important to note that the T-600, although not new, has been used for many years in various fields, including military and civilian.

It is also worth noting that this year's NATO exercise, Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS), was attended by navies from 25 countries and more than 30 companies.