Lockheed Martin’s Dry Combat Submersible– the Navy’s long-promised minisub for SEALs
News coming out of Lockheed:
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 24, 2023 — U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) declared Initial Operational Capability for Lockheed Martin’s Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) last month. This milestone represents a transformational capability for USSOCOM forces in Maritime and Undersea Systems.
“The Dry Combat Submersible has the potential to transform undersea warfare for special operators,” said Gregg Bauer, C6ISR vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin. “DCS provides safe, clandestine delivery for occupants over long distances in a completely dry environment and features a lock-in and lock-out chamber. Occupants arrive at the mission warm, rested, hydrated, and ready, making this vessel a key advantage in mission success.”
A Deeper Dive
With this capability, U.S. Special Operations Forces traveling extended distances below the surface of the ocean will be safe to do so without a wetsuit and without exposure to the elements. Due to the DCS’s lock-in/lock-out technology, special operators can get in and out of the vehicle while entirely submerged and undetected.
DCS is designed to transport a special operations team to their destination and enables personnel to arrive discretely to their desired exit point.
“The Lockheed Martin team is proud of the work that has gone into the development and delivery of DCS and supporting USSOCOM to this IOC milestone,” says Jason Crawford, senior program manager for Manned Combat Submersibles. “We look forward to delivering the third DCS and supporting DCS into Full Operating Capacity, filling a critical gap for USSOCOM.”
DCS is manufactured in Palm Beach, Florida. Sustainment operations will include lifecycle support, post-delivery logistics support, pilot and special operator training, and training equipment to ensure the safe and effective operation of the new capability in future special forces efforts.
Of note, DCS, designated the S351 Nemesis, has been under contract to Lockheed for seven years with a single 39-foot boat delivered and as many as three could be produced. Sized to fit in a standard 40-foot shipping container to send it low-key anywhere on the globe, it is designed to carry half a SEAL platoon (eight operators) and two dedicated crewmen to a target out to 60nm away.
It is considerably smaller than the failed 65-foot Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) which was in limited service from 2003-2008, but much more capable than the old four-operator “Eight Boat” the standard 22-foot wet sub (or “turbine” in SEAL parlance) that has been in service since 1983.
The Mark 8 Mod 1 wet sub, the standard frogman ride, is a 22-footer SDV that carries four operators and two crew in a very “open” environment and at shallow depths. The maximum endurance is 18 nm.