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capabilities. The shift towards unmanned sys-

naval warfare will look significantly different
from what militaries are used to.

It is not just Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
that navies are after; the use of unmanned
surface vehicles (USVs) and unmanned under-
water vehicles (UUVs) is also growing at such
a rate that the systems are set to play a major
role in distributed maritime operations in the
tems has become so pronounced that future [ COVER STORY ]
future.

Roadmap for the Future
In March this year, the U.S Navy and Marine
Corps released the Unmanned Campaign
framework, underlining the focus on making
unmanned systems, which provide a potent
combination of affordability and lethality, an
integral part of warfighting in the future. The
unmanned systems will be over and above
the 355 ship Navy that has been mandated by
Congress.
“Probably by the mid-to-late 2030s, we think
up to a third of the fleet could be unmanned,
if everything goes right,” Adm. Mike Gilday,
U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations, said at a
virtual event organized in April by the Center
for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a
The Way Washington think tank. “And for the air wing
of the future, we think about the same. Initially
about 40%, potentially going to 60% unmanned,
teamed with fourth- and fifth-generation fight-
ers in contested areas.”
Forward Eager to bridge the capability gap with China,
the Pentagon has increased its investment in
hypersonic technology and directed energy
weapons. The Navy is keen on using the
technologies to gain a competitive edge over
adversaries; “Our biggest R&D effort is in hyper-
sonics,” added Gilday. “Hypersonic weaponry
THE SURGE IN DEMAND AMONG NAVIES FOR is planned for delivery in 2025. First on surface
UNMANNED MARITIME SYSTEMS LOOKS SET TO ships and then on Block 5 submarines.”
CONTINUE Part of the service’s more immediate plans are
the development and procurement of Large
Unmanned Surface Vehicles (LUSVs), Medium
Arun Sivasankaran
Unmanned Surface Vehicles (MUSVs), and
Extra-Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles
The ongoing pandemic may have made defence budgets leaner, but (XLUUVs). In response to the Navy’s request
the demand for unmanned aircraft, surface and under-sea vessels for US$579.9 million in FY2021 research and
is growing exponentially as naval strength and readiness become development funding, the Congress has set
increasingly key elements in a tense global military landscape. aside US$238.9 million. The service wants to
move away from the current fleet architecture
While the U.S. is ramping up efforts to match the whirlwind pace at to a fleet that will have a significant number of
which China is beefing up its maritime power, navies in the Middle large UVs, proportionately fewer large surface
East and Asia Pacific region are also showing an increasing appe- combatants such as cruisers and destroyers,
tite for adding new unmanned assets, many of them with offensive and proportionately more frigates and Littoral

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