Future of weaponry seen in RoboSub competition

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In the test pool, team captain from the UCSD team Nema Ghods takes a closer underwater inspection of their underwater vehicle.


Future of weaponry seen in RoboSub competition
By Jeanette Steele, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 8:43 p.m.

SAN DIEGO — For the young engineers competing in the “RoboSub” competition this weekend in San Diego, it was about fun: testing your skills, working with fellow students. Saying RoboSub a lot.

But for the Navy officials hosting the unmanned-submarine contest, it’s serious business.

Unmanned vehicles are on the ascent as the Pentagon looks to save lives, cut costs and gather ever more reconnaissance information.

Consider this: The Air Force is training more pilots to control unmanned planes than to fly traditional fighters and bombers. The Navy is developing an armed, unmanned jet to fly off its aircraft carriers.

On any given day, the United States has 40 drones flying over Iraq and Afghanistan.