USSOCOM eyes digital engineering for next-gen Dry Combat Submersible

US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) may utilise digital engineering to design its next-generation Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) concept, officials disclosed this week.

Speaking to Janes from the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC), USSOCOM’s Acquisition Executive Jim Smith said DCS-Next (also referred to as DCS Block II) would be a “great candidate” for a digital engineering solution, based on lessons learned developing the original DCS programme.

The US Naval Special Warfare Dry Combat Submersible will be upgraded to Block II or ‘DCS-Next’ in the coming years, led by digital engineering to save costs in designing and manufacturing prototypes. (USSOCOM)

Development of the first generation DCS saw USSOCOM leasing an S301i dry manned submersible from Lockheed Martin before contracting the same company to construct a pair of prototypes following feedback from US Naval Special Warfare (NSW).

“We had a great idea of what the commercial industry could provide for a submersible that could work with the surface assets. And that was a fantastic risk reduction. By the time we entered into the programme, we felt very, very confident in our ability to deliver the DCS,” Smith said. However, he warned it would be cost prohibitive to use the same development model to design a DCS-Next solution for NSW.

“We think we can achieve the same results with a digital engineering model,” he said. “So we’ll look at competing a design for a digital engineering model, using a high-fidelity design that we can work with the navy to show the interoperability of it and make some really informed decisions before we award a production contract.”