![]() This is by no means an exhaustive list of prototypes and programs, but should demonstrate the kinds of technical capabilities the Navy expects USVs to have in the near future. Looking to the future, DARPA is already working on a program called No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) with the goal of “ designing a seaframe from the ground up with no provision, allowance, or expectation for humans at sea”. Aegis cruisers used for air and missile defense are manned, but much of the tracking and targeting is already done autonomously by the Aegis combat system. Predator UAVs flown by human operators are unmanned, but not necessarily fully autonomous. Unmanned means that there are no humans aboard, while autonomous means that the system completes tasks without human input. There is an important distinction between the terms unmanned and autonomous. It also allows for a kind of “overlap” period where a human presence is maintained while technical and ethical issues surrounding command and control are worked out. īoth programs are designed to be crew-optional, allowing for a small crew to remain on-board for missions where more hands-on oversight or decision-making might be needed. LUSVs would be 200 feet to 300 feet in length and be more offensive in nature, armed with anti-ship and land-attack missiles. MUSVs would be 45 feet to 190 feet long and tasked with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads and electronic warfare missions. įor future procurement, the Navy has designated two acquisition programs: Large Unmanned Surface Vehicles (LUSVs) and Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicles (MUSVs). And while not autonomous, small remote controlled USVs are already in use as supporting vessels for the littoral combat ships, carrying out scouting, countermine, anti-submarine, and electronic warfare missions. These ships, initially developed by DARPA, are capable of continuously shadowing enemy submarines. ![]() Additionally, two “Sea Hunter” autonomous ships are undergoing testing with the Navy’s Surface Development Squadron 1. The Ghost Fleet Overload program has completed its first phase, conducting 600 hours of autonomous navigation with two converted commercial ships, and its second phase is currently testing C2 integration and payload systems. The Navy has already created several platforms for testing and integrating autonomous USVs. Rather than dream of a hypothetical new fleet structure we must understand how USVs will fit into the existing one. While USVs have the potential to change the Navy, fleet structures cannot simply be replaced but will instead evolve over time. While some might suggest USVs can revolutionize the concept of a capital ship based Navy by replacing vulnerable carriers with decentralized swarm-like formation, such thinking ignores the realities of introducing new technologies. While unmanned undersea vessels (UUVs) will also bring important changes, they are beyond the scope of this article which focuses only on USVs. ![]() This article provides a brief primer on existing unmanned surface vessel (USV) programs and their expected capabilities in the near-term, before moving on to how they could fit into the current fleet structure and how concerns surrounding command and control will affect different potential mission sets. Autonomous ships will allow for unprecedented levels of flexibility and decentralization, but come with a host of unknown risks and challenges. We have to invest in the future.” This push for autonomous ships comes amidst a broader push for the Navy’s surface fleet to rely on smaller, more distributed systems in the face of enemy threats, particularly anti-ship missiles. So, we’re making all those investments the research and development budget that we had is the largest in history. ![]() It will add more lethality, survivability, capability, et cetera, to the United States Navy and indeed to the joint force. On September 17 th, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said “ Unmanned will enable us to grow the United States Navy well beyond 355 ships. In the past few years there has been an increasing focus on expanding the US Navy’s capabilities through the use of unmanned surface vessels. Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) concept renderings from shipbuilder Austal USA.
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