An American team has started building a new hydrogen-powered drone submarine for the US Navy. The unmanned underwater vehicle is designed to travel long distances without surfacing and could improve the Navy’s ability to carry out missions with fewer crewed submarines.
The project is part of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)’s Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP) program. Metron has begun building the submarine’s nose, tail, and middle sections, while Kongsberg and Oceaneering are working on separate designs. Instead of choosing one company early, the DIU is developing multiple designs at the same time to encourage competition and faster innovation.
The new drone submarine aims to solve the limits of today’s unmanned underwater vehicles. Current systems cannot travel far enough or carry large payloads for many military missions. The CAMP program is designed to create a larger and more capable autonomous submarine.
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The prototype being built by Metron is about 38 feet long and weighs 8.8 tons. It is powered by hydrogen fuel cells, allowing it to travel up to 3,100 miles underwater and remain submerged for as long as 38 days without surfacing. The submarine is also designed to operate deeper than 200 meters, navigate without GPS, communicate above and below the water, and carry large payloads.
If successful, the platform could support surveillance, seabed operations, logistics, and other naval missions that are too risky or costly for crewed submarines. Its long endurance could reduce the need for frequent refuelling or support ships during extended operations.
The project is still in the prototype stage. Different teams are testing different designs and propulsion systems, and the final configuration has not been selected. There is also some uncertainty over the required operating range, with public documents mentioning both 1,000 and 1,400 nautical miles as minimum targets.
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The CAMP program matters because it could change how the US Navy uses autonomous underwater vehicles. By developing long-range, unmanned submarines with greater endurance and payload capacity, the Navy hopes to strengthen future maritime operations while lowering operational risks.
