The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Submarine Force successfully tested its operational proficiency in clandestine mine deployment during a Submarine-Launched Mobile Mine Exercise (SLMM-Ex) conducted earlier this month off the coast of Kauai at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF).
SLMM-Ex is designed to demonstrate the capability of U.S. Navy’s fast attack submarines to successfully employ submarine launched mobile mines (SLMMs) used specifically for the destruction and/or disruption of enemy ships.
The crew of the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Buffalo (SSN 715) refined their handling and launch procedures of Mk-67 SLMMs before proceeding to sea, where successful trial of inert Mk-67 SLMM exercise mines occurred off PMRF.
The Mk-67 SLMM was developed as a submarine-deployed mine for use in areas inaccessible for other mine deployment techniques or for clandestine mining in hostile environments.
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Image: US Navy