laying underwater explosives. The U.S. has reacted by shutting down Iranian ports and working to clear routes through the strait; however, as per reports in the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Navy hasn’t possessed substantial mine-clearing capabilities for decades (allocating its resources and budget towards different initiatives, such as a new class of supercarriers).
In lieu of its conventional, specialized minesweeping vessels and helicopters, the U.S. has started testing unmanned vehicles. A key piece of this next-generation arsenal is a remote-operated underwater mine neutralization device known as the Archerfish, which collaborates with sonar mine-detection systems to find and eliminate mines before they can threaten surface or submerged ships. This permits the Navy to locate and detonate mines using unmanned vehicles, thus avoiding risks to its personnel (or more critical equipment). Here’s how the system functions.