How Autonomous Undersea Systems Can Transform Submarine Rescue

Submarine rescue is one of the most time-critical and technically demanding missions in naval operations. When a submarine is disabled on the seafloor, every hour matters. Survival depends on how quickly the vessel can be located, assessed, and successfully mated with a rescue system. Advances in autonomous undersea technology now offer a clear path to dramatically improving these outcomes.

Modern autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) can accelerate every phase of a rescue operation. Wide-area search using Multiple Aperture Sonars (MAS) such as Forcys’ Solstice MAS, along with magnetometers and other techniques enables rapid localization with far greater coverage and resolution than traditional methods. Once located, autonomous systems equipped with high-resolution MAS, optical, and laser scanning can generate detailed 3D models of the submarine and surrounding seafloor, allowing rescue planners to assess hull condition, slope, and obstructions before committing rescue assets.

Autonomy also plays a critical role during the most challenging phase of rescue: approach and mating. Precision navigation, vision-in-the-loop control, and automated alignment reduce the possibility of failed docking attempts and improve the reliability of transfer-under-pressure operations. The result is faster rescue cycles and a higher percentage of survivors safely recovered.

These capabilities build directly on existing systems such as the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Rescue and Diving Recompression System (SRDRS) and NATO’s Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), enhancing them with speed, resilience, and data-driven decision-making. At Forcys, we believe that integrating autonomy into submarine rescue is not a future aspiration—it is a practical, achievable step toward saving lives when time matters most.

We’ll be exploring this subject in more depth at the upcoming NATO Submarine Escape and Rescue Working Group (SMERWG) event in London at the end of January.