June 16, 201016 yr From Jane's Gabler, WTD 71 lift lid on SDV demonstrator By Richard Scott 16 June 2010 Sea Devil's telescopic casing extends from 3.4 m (stowed) to 5 m (operational) in length. The torpedo tube of a Type 212A submarine will accommodate two vehicles. (IHS Jane's/Charles Hollos) Germany's Gabler Maschinenbau has unveiled a compact submarine-compatible swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV) prototype developed in conjunction with the Bundeswehr Technical Centre for Ships and Naval Weapons (WTD 71). Designed for stowage in a standard 533 mm torpedo tube, Gabler's two-person SDV concept – dubbed Sea Devil – has emerged from a technology demonstrator project begun by WTD 71 in 2006 to meet the requirements of the German Navy's special forces cadre. Speaking at the Undersea Defence Technology Europe Conference 2010 in Hamburg on 7 June, Anke Wilhelm, engineering supervisor for WTD 71's test-diving team, said the German Ministry of Defence had tasked WTD 71 to work with naval special forces to establish the key user requirements for a two-person submarine-compatible SDV. He said: "These included a 3 kt cruise speed, a depth rating of at least 24 m, reasonable comfort, low noise and signature characteristics, low weight, 300 litres of payload space, rugged construction, easy handling and simple preparation [fully operational from torpedo-tube egress in 10 minutes]." He added: "We also set an objective for an SDV that was sized to accommodate two special forces divers in a comfortable position, but that was sufficiently compact to enable two vehicles to fit into a single Type 212A [submarine] torpedo tube."
June 16, 201016 yr Author " ... sized to accommodate two special forces divers in a comfortable position, but that was sufficiently compact to enable two vehicles to fit into a single Type 212A [submarine] torpedo tube." Frogmen with claustrophobia need not apply.
June 16, 201016 yr " ... sized to accommodate two special forces divers in a comfortable position, but that was sufficiently compact to enable two vehicles to fit into a single Type 212A [submarine] torpedo tube." Frogmen with claustrophobia need not apply. Frogmen and claustrophobia don´t fit.... But now i know a good theme for the weekend.... Meeting some guys working at WTD 71....
June 16, 201016 yr Author Frogmen and claustrophobia don´t fit.... No kidding. Now that you're up to speed, do some recon.
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