"Our Navy labs are developing and prototyping undersea drones in multiple sizes with diverse payloads," Carter said.
Without elaborating, the secretary explained the project’s significance.
"Among other reasons, unmanned undersea vehicles can operate in shallow waters, where manned submarines cannot," he said.
According to Carter, the US Department of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office is developing a modification to an Army missile system so rockets can hit moving targets on land and at sea.
"By integrating an existing seeker on to the front of the missile, they’re enabling it to hit moving targets at sea as well as on land," Carter said in a speech.
The capability effectively converts a US Army surface-to-surface missile into a weapon that can "project power" from coastal locations up to 180 miles at sea, the secretary stated.
The Strategic Capabilities Office is tasked with developing new uses for existing US weapons systems, Carter noted.
