US Navy Taps HII for Submarine Torpedo Tube Drone Launch System
The US Navy has tapped Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) to develop a system that allows submarines to launch and recover unmanned underwater vehicles through torpedo tubes.
Under the contract, awarded by the Defense Innovation Unit, HII will build a Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery (TTLR) system designed for its REMUS family of autonomous underwater vehicles.
This system will enable submarines to deploy and retrieve drones directly through existing torpedo tubes, removing the need for diver assistance and expanding how crews conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions under the sea.
HII said the capability is intended to make unmanned systems a routine part of submarine operations, not just experimental assets, as the navy pushes toward tighter integration between manned platforms and autonomous vehicles.
US Launch and Recovery Efforts
The contract comes amid a broader set of US efforts to improve TTLR systems, which the US Navy began developing in 2022, making it a priority as the “recovery part has been the critical aspect.”
In March, the US ordered systems from L3Harris Technologies to enable submarines to deploy and recover the company’s Iver4 900 autonomous underwater vehicles.
In October 2025, HII validated recovery and launch procedures for the newer REMUS 620 system, including autonomous docking inside a submerged torpedo tube fixture and successful launch and separation sequences.
The US Navy and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution earlier in July 2025 validated the compatibility of the REMUS 620 vehicle with Virginia-class submarine weapons handling and torpedo tube systems.
