The recently disclosed REMUS 620 medium-class navy Unmanned Underwater Vehicle from HII, an autonomous robotic submarine with artificial intelligence and an operational range of 275 nautical miles, may appear to be a fat torpedo. Still, there's more to it than meets the eye (316 mi, 509 km).

They have advanced significantly since underwater drones were essentially motorized television eyeballs controlled by a remote control at the end of a rope.

Today's machines are getting more advanced and have a wider variety of capabilities, which may mean that in the future, in addition to submarines frequently releasing and retrieving drones, traditional warships may be relegated to command centers supervising robotic submarine fleets.

The REMUS 620 expands on the REMUS 300's design ideas, which the US Navy recently selected as the program of record for the Lionfish Small UUV. Up to 110 hours of battery life are claimed for it.

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