New Mini-Sub gives SEALS extra speed, range, payload. (Unconventional Warriors).

If the ongoing U.S. campaign against terrorist groups expands to places like Somalia, Iraq or Indonesia, that could result in more missions for the U.S. Navy SEALs, who have seen their role in land warfare grow in recent years.

To improve their ability to quickly reach the battle zone, the SEALs plan to buy several 65-foot submersibles, which would transport them from a submarine to the shore. The SEALs view this vehicle as a significant improvement over their current vehicle, because it keeps them dry during the ride.

The submersible, called the Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) has been in development since 1994, but the program experienced delays in the early going. Tests are under way currently, and it is nor clear when the system will be deployed and operational.

The Navy office responsible for the development of ASDS declined to comment for this article. Some aspects of this program are classified, but Forecast International naval analyst Stuart Slade noted that the secrecy surrounding the ASDS is to be expected, given the sensitive nature of the SEAL missions. The vehicles, he said, "will be valuable pieces of equipment." As time goes on, Slade predicted, "they will sink even more from the public gaze, because they work best when people don't know about them and are in doubt about the capabilities."

Naval special-warfare is about conducting clandestine insertions and extractions of SEAL squads in unfriendly environments.

The SEALs, who operate from the sea, land or air, are highly trained unconventional troops. There are currently six SEAL teams and two SEAL delivery vehicle teams, equally divided between the East and Weast coasts of the United States. Every team has 10 platoons of 16 men each, with an additional headquarters platoon and a 20-man support element.

So far, the SEAL delivery teams have been using the wet submersibles called the SEAL Delivery Systems or SDVs. With the SDVs, however, SEALS often have to spend extended periods of time in cold ocean water during long offshore transits, donning only a wet or a dry suit. That can take a toll on their physical and mental performance. Sometimes, SEALs have to warm themselves on the beach, before continuing with their mission.

The Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has made the ASDS one of its "flagship" acquisition programs (National Defense, Feb. 2001). The program currently is managed by the Naval Sea Systems Command. A NAVSEA spokeswoman said the ASDS currently is undergoing deepwater tests in Hawaii, but she could not provide details.

When deployed, ASDS is expected to improve the effectiveness of long-range operations, because the SEALs would be delivered to their destinations better rested and better equipped. They also would be able to conduct shore surveillance prior to landing.

Other Navies

Slade noted that these types of submersibles are found in other navies. "There are a lot of similar craft around the world," he said. The Italians and Russians, for example, have used comparable vehicles extensively. "The Russians have a very large fleet of these types of boats," he said. The ASDS is not reinventing anything, he said, "because there is a good basis of design art to work from."

It's taken a long time for the SEALs to get this capability, because their original missions did not require such a vehicle, Slade explained. The SEALs descended from the Cold War-era underwater demolition teams, which would be sent to beaches to remove mines and other obstacles. During World War II, the SEALs served as "frogmen swimming around," finding and removing mines or other explosives, Slade said. Over time, they started operating on land, which increased their demands for new combat equipment.

"We are seeing a change in equipment profiles dictated by a change in operational requirements," said Slade.

In a recent study, the Rand Corp.--a federally funded think-tank-outlined recent developments in the ASDS program. The report is titled "Advanced SEAL Delivery System: Perspectives and Options." It was done at the request of the Deep Submergence Directorate (PMS 395) of the Naval Sea Systems Command.

Range, speed, payload and habitability are the reasons why the SEALs need the ASDS, Rand said. "It provides a true mini-sub' capable of significantly extending the combat radius."

The ASDS is battery-powered, shock-hardened and stealthy. It is approximately 65 feet in length, 8 feet in diameter and weighs 60 tons. It can be transported in C17 or C-5 military cargo airplanes. When it's attached to a submarine, it can submerge in waters as deep as 800 feet. The main electric propulsion system is used for high-speed transit and a thrusting capability is available for low-speed maneuvering. The ASDS can travel at approximately 8 knots to about 125 nautical miles.

The pilot is an experienced submariner, and a SEAL navigator sits next to him. Additionally, the ASDS can carry six to eight fully equipped SEALs.

The submarine platforms that transport the ASDS will be specifically configured SSN 688-class boats. According to the Rand report, two 688 SSNs are currently being modified for this mission. The mini-sub has a hyperbaric chamber that is used to lock swimmers in and out from a bottom hatch at a variety of depths. It also serves to create a passageway to the host submarine-mating trunk when the ASDS is attached to the submarine's hull. ASDS sensors include multiple sonars and its navigation system has both a global positioning system and an inertial guidance system.

It is no secret, however, that the ASDS program has traveled a bumpy ride. "Because of the unique and challenging nature of the development and production of the ASDS vehicle, the schedule and the initial contract cost were significantly exceeded," said the Rand report.

SOCOM Acquisition Executive Harry Schulte told National Defense in an interview last year that the testing had taken longer than expected. "Longer means more money," he said. The ASDS "has been a struggle with the Navy and with [contractor] Northrop Grumman," said Schulte. He said that he expected that the program would be restructured and possibly would receive more funding. "What that will basically do is slip our second ASDS buy until 2003 and our third ASDS buy until 2005," he said.

Northrop Grumman Corp. was awarded a design and manufacturing development contract in 1994, for six boats. A company spokeswoman declined to comment on the company's current work on the program.

The first vehicle is estimated to cost $230 million. The program received $48 million in fiscal 2001. The 2002 budget had not yet been finalized at press time.

Slade said that one of the major problems with the program is a shortage of funds. "If you throw in enough money, it will work eventually," he said.

"Any program like this has technical difficulties in it," Slade said. "It is very easy to over-specify development programs." He added that extensive testing is needed to identify and prevent problems before the vehicles enter the fleet. "Faults are always there, sometimes we hear about it, sometimes we don't."

According to the Rand report, during the earlier testing phase in Hawaii, pilots and co-pilots said they were concerned about long-term reliability problems. "While disruptive and costly, the problems we observed were typical for such a complex, first-of-a-kind system as the ASDS," said the report. Rand recommended that the Navy include more input from pilots and co-pilots in the design of ASDS.

Chicago Bridge and Iron was the initial manufacturer of the first pressure hull, but subsequently dropped out of the program. Northrop Grumman then selected Electric Boat Company to produce the follow-on hulls.

The first ASDS was supposed to be delivered in fiscal year 2000, said the Rand report. The program got off on a shaky start, said Rand, because the requirements were not defined clearly enough. This resulted in three vendors submitting contract bids with much lower cost projections than what the government had estimated.

"Clearly, the vendors did not envision the same project as the government did," said the report. "This lack of definition and catering to an unrealistic price resulted in a significant number of design changes and decisions that resulted in dramatic cost and schedule growth."

The winner of the original contract was Westinghouse Corp., later acquired by Northrop Grumman.

Rand analysts said that they believed that the ASDS program initially suffered from lack of attention from upper management. "The program did not benefit from the management experience that has led Northrop Grumman to be a very successful provider of major weapons systems," said the report. "While suffering from a lack of top management attention ... the project also suffered from poor design decisions and poor vendor performance." Northrop Grumman cited problems with the composite outer hull and a so-called "vendor material certification system" as reasons for delays and cost increases, the study said.

But Rand analysts acknowledged that the company is turning the program around, as a result of management changes during the past two years. The most important change is the transition of ASDS from an isolated project to a high-priority effort, benefiting from Northrop Grumman's "corporate design, development, production and programmatic systems," the report said. "While the new technical and management approach has likely not solved all of ASDS problems, we find that it is solid and comprehensive, which will provide a good basis for identifying solutions when unanticipated problems arise.

According to Rand, the primary contractor has been working on ways to reduce costs and focused on design simplifications and improvement in the production of the next five systems. "These redesign efforts will result in a higher quality, lower-cost product when compared to ASDS-1," Rand said.

Northrop Grumman, said the Rand study, is working on electrical system optimization; improvements on the aft and body of the craft; reduction of the number of external hull studs; the redesign of the door and deployment mechanism, and a more efficient procurement of materials and use of suppliers.

The company plans to save $10 million per boat as a result of these initiatives, said Rand. "The current plan to realize these savings is for the government to fund a $10 million detailed design effort," the report stated. The $10 million was supposed to be split over two years: $6 million or 2000 and another $4 million for 2001.

While the acquisition cost savings for ASDS are quantified, the report said, there are no numbers available on potential savings for life-cycle costs, which involve maintenance and operation. "Most of [Northrop Grumman's] cost reduction initiatives should improve this area because the ASDS design is greatly simplified," said the study. "However, a complete cost-benefit analysis should include the full spectrum of life-cycle costs.

Rand recommended that the government look into a multi-year procurement of ASDS. "The primary advantage of multiyear contracts is that the government often gets lower and more stable prices compared with individually procured systems," said the report. Multi-year procurement contracts require congressional approval.

For the ASDS program, "the potential savings could be quite significant," Rand said. However, given the current state of the program, it would probably be unrealistic to implement a multi-year contra r starting with ASDS-2. By the time that vehicle is completed, cost estimates could change. ND

RELATED ARTICLE: Advanced Seal Delivery System

Length: 65 feet

Dry Weight: 55 tons

Range: 125 nautical miles

Speed: 8 knots

Diving Depth: 800 feet

Crew: pilot and co-pilot

Passengers: up to eight SEALs