DARPA outlines vision of 'dormant' UFPs

A radical concept for a forward-deployed network of submerged unmanned 'sleeper' payloads that could be activated after years lying dormant on the seafloor has been revealed by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Known as the Upward Falling Payload (UFP) programme, the concept centres on pre-deploying deep-ocean nodes in forward areas which can be commanded from standoff to launch to the surface to deliver non-lethal effects or situation awareness over large maritime areas.

In a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) released on 11 January, DARPA describes the deep oceans - 60% of the world's seas are deeper than 4 km - as "a vast area for concealment and storage", adding that "the cost to retrieve UFP nodes is asymmetric with the likely cost to produce and distribute them on the seafloor".

The agency further pointed out that submerged concealment also provides an opportunity to surprise maritime targets from below, while the vastness of the oceans provides an opportunity to simultaneously operate across great distances. "Getting close to targets without warning, and instantiating distributed systems without delay, are key attributes of UFP capability," it said.