英国皇家海军正在国防工业界试探风声，准备启动93型潜艇的采购程序。93型是一艘大型无人潜艇，将成为该部队“混合海军”构想的一部分。英国国防部发布了一份初步市场参与通知，邀请各机构对93型潜艇以及“奥库斯标志性有效载荷项目”表态兴趣，该项目旨在为英国的无人潜艇以及伙伴国家的无人潜艇开发武器和其他系统。
Britain's Royal Navy is sounding out the defense industry ahead of kicking off a procurement process for the Type 93, a large uncrewed submarine that will form part of the force’s Hybrid Navy vision. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a preliminary market engagement notice inviting organizations to their interest in the Type 93 and the AUKUS Signature Payload Program, which aims to develop weapons and other systems for the UK’s uncrewed submarine and those of partner nations. (AUKUS, is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and US partly focused on submarine technology.)
（奥库斯是澳大利亚、英国和美国之间的三边安全伙伴关系，部分重点关注潜艇技术。）该通知的目的是收集一份关于超大型无人水下航行器平台及更广泛生态系统的感兴趣供应商的完整名单：有效载荷提供商、相关技术和软件（包括用于自主运行、人工智能和任务管理系统的系统）供应商。同时也在寻求集成商和提供全寿期支持的公司。
The purpose of the notice is to gather a comprehensive list of interested suppliers for Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV) platforms and the wider ecosystem: payload providers, suppliers of relevant tech and software including systems for autonomous operations, AI and mission management systems. Integrators and firms to provide through-life support are also sought.
此举表明，英国皇家海军正试图向前迈进，并投入使用一艘能够独立作战或与有载人舰艇并肩作战的无人战斗潜艇，以保卫英国的本土水域和海底电缆等基础设施。
The move shows that the Royal Navy is trying to move forward and bring into service an uncrewed combat submarine capable of operating independently, or alongside crewed vessels, to defend the UK’s home waters and infrastructure such as undersea cables.
根据该通知，英国皇家海军最初正在考虑长约12米（40英尺）、直径约2米（6.5米）的潜艇作为93型的潜在候选者，尽管也鼓励拥有其他尺寸现有系统的机构参与。
According to the notice, the Royal Navy is initially considering subs approximately 12 meters (40 ft) in length and 2 meters (6.5 ft) in diameter as potential candidates for Type 93, although organisations with existing systems of other dimensions are also encouraged to.
拥有大致符合这些尺寸的两个现有无人潜艇原型或许并非巧合；一个是“XV神剑”号，这是英国皇家海军一直在海上试验中使用的大型潜艇无人机；另一个是英国宇航系统的“赫恩”号。后者的一个新版本正准备明年在加拿大附近进行试验。
It is perhaps no coincidence that two existing uncrewed submarine prototypes roughly fit these dimensions; the XV Excalibur, which is a large submarine drone the Royal Navy has been using in seagoing trials; and the BAE Systems Herne. A new version of the latter is being prepared for trials around Canada next year.
“XV神剑”号最近首次试射了一枚鱼雷，展示了其对抗水下威胁的潜力，尽管在那个例子中，该无人机被提供了外部目标数据。
XV Excalibur recently test-fired a torpedo for the first time, demonstrating its potential to counter underwater threats, although the drone was supplied with external targeting data in that instance.
“混合海军”计划是由第一海务大臣吉温·詹金斯上将今年早些时候在皇家联合国防安全研究所发表的一篇演讲中概述的。该计划拟让英国皇家海军过渡到由载人、无人和自主平台混合组成的舰队。这些计划还包括无人水面艇或无人舰船，其中92型被设定为一个主要专注于声呐以探测敌方潜艇的传感器平台。
The “Hybrid Navy” initiative was outlined by First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins earlier this year in a speech delivered at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). It plans for the Royal Navy to transition to a mix of crewed, uncrewed, and autonomous platforms. These plans also include uncrewed surface vessels, or drone ships, with the Type 92 set to be a sensor platform that would primarily focus on sonar to detect enemy submarines.
同样，94型被描述为一个无人雷达和传感器平台，用于提供对空中威胁的远程探测和跟踪。91型被设想为一个导弹运载工具，以帮助防卫英国皇家海军舰队，可能依赖于94型无人机提供的目标数据。
Likewise, the Type 94 is described as an uncrewed radar and sensor platform to provide long-range detection and tracking of airborne threats. Type 91 is envisioned as a missile carrier to help defend a Royal Navy fleet, likely relying on targeting data provided from a Type 94 drone.
然而，“混合海军”方案还取消了原计划的83型驱逐舰：这是一艘载人舰艇，英国皇家海军当时正处于明确其规格的早期阶段，以接替目前充当防空舰的现役45型驱逐舰。取而代之的是六艘通用作战舰艇，它们将充当所有这些无人舰船的指挥控制枢纽。
However, the “Hybrid Navy” scheme also scraps the planned Type 83 Destroyer: a crewed vessel that the Royal Navy was in the early stages of specifying to succeed the existing Type 45 Destroyers that currently serve as air defense ships. In their place will be six Common Combat Vessels (CCVs), acting as command-and-control hubs for all those drone ships.
英国国防部声称，预计从2030年代初开始交付这些通用作战舰艇。如果这真的发生了，那将简直是个奇迹；31型护卫舰本应迅速建造以取代老化的23型舰艇，但现在已经十年过去了，第一艘舰艇仍然远未准备好。
The MoD claimed that delivery of the CCVs is expected from the early 2030s. This will be nothing short of a miracle if it actually happens; the Type 31 frigates were supposed to be built quickly to replace the ageing Type 23 ships, but it has been a decade now and the first one of those is still nowhere near ready.
英国国防部的初步市场参与通知称，这不应被视为英国皇家海军推进任何未来采购活动的承诺。
The MoD preliminary market engagement notice says it should not be considered as a commitment from the Royal Navy to progress with any future procurement activities. ®