The U.S. Navy soon will have a new offensive unmanned surface vessel to strike battleships or submarines
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy is moving fast to build new medium- and large-sized armed unmanned surface vessels able to hunt submarines, surveil the air and sea, and launch offensive attacks across air, surface and undersea domains. Kris Osborn at The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
3 July 2019 -- Called the Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) and Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LUSV) - the new platforms are described by Navy developers as “anti-surface and strike warfare” vessels.
While the new surface drones are being engineered for a range of missions, to include anti-submarine sonar applications, large drone fleet command-and-control and sweeping ISR (Intelligence, Reconnaissance, Surveillance) -- Navy Unmanned Systems Program Manager Capt. Pete Small said that the drones will “bring in Navy program of record weapons systems to incorporate into commercially-derived modular craft.”
While preparing to arm the maritime drones with weapons, Small explained that the initial focus for the new, larger surface drones will be autonomy, endurance, precision navigation and command-and-control. Of greatest significance, Small explained, is that the prospect of large numbers of interwoven, armed unmanned surface vessel weapons introduced an entirely new sphere of Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. These surface drones, operating in tandem with surface ships, undersea drones, aerial drones and submarines, promise to change the character of maritime warfare.
Related: Not just for the Navy: unmanned surface vessels (USVs) in wide use for surveillance at NOAA
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
