The underwater drones will act as extra eyes and ears for American submarines.

The U.S. Navy is preparing to add underwater drones to its submarine fleet. The drones are launched out of torpedo tubes, allowing them to quickly integrate with submarines. The drone, known as Razorback, will perform dangerous scouting work for crewed submarines.

The U.S. Navy is finally adding underwater drones to its fleet of nuclear attack submarines. A new version of the Navy’s Razorback unɱaпned undersea vehicle (UUV) will have the capability to both launch and be recovered via torpedo tubes, allowing any submarine in the fleet to operate them on patrol. The drones, equipped with their own sonar systems, will allow naval submarines to search for enemy ships and submarines without revealing themselves.

According to U.S. Naval Insтιтute News, the Navy has been eager to add unɱaпned UUVs to its submarines, but technical issues have stymied their deployment. While the Razorback drone can be launched from a torpedo tube, recovering it after a mission has been a problem. So far, recovery has only been possible using divers and a dry dock shelter (DDS), a hump-shaped module that allows divers to enter and exit a submarine underwater. Only a handful of submarines in the fleet can carry a DDS, limiting the Razorback’s ability to deploy.

USNI News reports that the Navy has solved the recovery issue, and that the submarines will now be able to reel a Razorback back inside the way it came, through a torpedo tube. The process even works when the submarine is moving. Rear Admiral Casey Moton, the program executive officer for unɱaпned and small combatants, told USNI News that the system works and will soon be operational.