hundreds of air strikes, real naval battles, pursuits of nuclear submarines, and even the testing of sophisticated weapons with the remote control. This is the case since February 5 in the Sicilian waters of the Ionian Sea with naval exercise called Proud Manta 2011 involving ten NATO nations (Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and USA). Conducted by Allied Command Submarine Forces (COMSUBSOUTH) Maritime and Air Force (COMMARAIR) to Capodichino (Naples), Proud Manta is the "major exercises in the antisubmarine warfare (ASW) and the development of tactics to counter illegal activities perpetrated by Sea, with particular attention to anti-"as issued by NATO." The exercise will end on February 18th is an important opportunity to test new military doctrines and equipment. The participants will put into practice the strategies and techniques currently used with Active Endevaour operations in the Mediterranean and Ocean Shield in the Horn of Africa, as well as other warfighting capabilities needed to ensure better integration and interoperability of units that are part of the Rapid Reaction Force (NRF) of NATO. "
Imposing the deployment of personnel and equipment: in fact, the exercise involved eight ships, nineteen between aircraft and ASW helicopters and six submarines, one of which, the ' USS Memphis (SSN-691) of U.S. Navy, is equipped with nuclear propulsion reactors with a capacity of 26 MW and the infamous cruise missiles "Tomahawk", double-capacity, nuclear and conventional, can hit a distant target 1.700 miglia nautiche. Il sottomarino USA, in particolare, simula a turno sia il ruolo di “attaccante” che di “difensore” delle unità che compongono il Gruppo Navale NATO SNMG 1 (Standing Naval Maritme Group) che l’Alleanza schiera permanentemente nelle acque del Mediterraneo orientale e del Golfo Persico a sostegno delle operazioni belliche in Iraq ed Afghanistan o in missioni anti-pirateria ed anti-migranti. Infrastruttura chiave dell’esercitazione Proud Manta 2011 è la base navale di Augusta (Siracusa), mentre gli attacchi simulati di elicotteri ed aerei vengono sferrati dagli aeroporti militari di Catania Fontanarossa e Sigonella.
The real novelty in the NATO war games in the waters off the coast of Sicily is represented this year by experimenting with three "sea gliders", or autonomous underwater vehicles ( Autonomous Underwater Vehicle - AUV ), to collect " three-dimensional environmental data "to be used to support decision making and planning of the military commanders. To coordinate the testing of the AUV technicians NATO Undersea Research Center (NURC) of La Spezia, the center depends on the Allied Command in Norfolk, Virginia, who works in research and development of technologies necessary for naval operations NATO, with particular emphasis to submarine warfare and the "contrast of the new threats in the maritime environment by enemy nations or terrorist groups." "Knowledge of environmental and operational efficiency obtained with the use of advanced information technology of remote-controlled underwater vehicles, underwater scenarios will help define and develop the military capabilities of NATO," said Michel Rixen, one of the scientists who work at the NURC of La Spezia. "The glider remain in water for as long naval exercise, covering over 300 miles in the collection of data on salinity and temperature of the Ionian Sea that will allow operators sonar to calculate the speed of sound in water, a key element for detecting enemy submarines. "
According to Michel Rixen, new remote-controlled submarines "have much in common with the UAV unmanned aircraft." "The glider is versatile and durable. Equipped with generators, battery is six feet long and weighs about 130 pounds, can be launched from shore or small boat. He moves into the sea at a speed of 2 mph, using an inner tube that inflates and deflates like a pump and supplying the vehicle buoyancy. Modifications della spinta richiedono meno energia di un propulsore ad elica, consentendo al veicolo di stare sott’acqua molto più a lungo”.
I tre gliders in via di sperimentazione in Sicilia sono stati prodotti dalla Teledyne Webb Research di Falmouth, Massachusetts, società interamente controllata da Teledyne Technologies Inc., gruppo leader nella progettazione e realizzazione di strumenti e attrezzature di ricerca e monitoraggio oceanografico. La Marina militare USA ha ordinato più di un centinaio di sottomarini telecomandati e punta ad impiegarli nei teatri di guerra internazionali con le unità del Naval Oceanographic Office. In late 2009, a glider the same type used in the practice Proud Manta failed to complete the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 221 days.
"If necessary, the AUV can be easily used for the same functions and tasks of large submarines," says Mr. Rixen. "They can be installed on board the AUV also of weapon systems, just as was done with unmanned aircraft." The image is that of the deadly "Predator" who are sowing death and destruction in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. I wonder if after the conversion of the Sigonella major European business center of the "Global Hawk" U.S. and NATO, Washington is not planning to do the Sicilian ports of the guided scuba diving for the wars in the Mediterranean.
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