The demand for unmanned surface vessels (USVs) is showing tremendous growth with a growing number of naval forces now experimenting with manned-unmanned teaming in the maritime domain. The successful integration of USVs into the fleets of modern navies, will enhance their maritime domain awareness but also increase their deterrence ability. One of the leaders in USVs and maritime manned-unmanned teaming is the U.S. Navy, which has established a goal to have 100 USVs available for patrol in waters around the Arabian Peninsula by the end of the summer of 2023.
Interestingly, the U.S. Navy says the majority of these systems will be sourced from its international and regional partners. In 2022, the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) established Task Force 59, to rapidly integrate unmanned systems and artificial intelligence with maritime operations. It will include 15 different types of unmanned systems—10 of which will operate in the area for the first time—as well as several AI and data integration systems.
Capability Integration
In May 2022, the U.S. Navy created a separate USV division Unmanned Surface Vessel Division (USVDIV) One— for the integration of unmanned systems into the US Navy. This unit is formed for managing unmanned surface vehicle experimentation for medium and large unmanned surface vehicles such as the Sea Hunter and the Sea Hawk, both of which will participate in anti-submarine warfare missions. Moreover, with the help of this division, the US Navy, in August 2022, announced that for the first time, it had cleared a major acquisition milestone on a USV, allowing it to begin operating in the fleet.
The U.S. Navy had also conducted manned-unmanned teams experiments at the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 exercise that enabled the Navy to decide the future of the Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle in naval fleets. With four USV prototypes under the
helm of the recently created USVDIV One, the Navy paired the platforms with destroyers at the RIMPAC to experiment with and better understand how the four USVs all work in conjunction with manned warships. The New USVDIV command served as the bridge between the programme office and the fleet for that feedback.
Collaborative Approach
There is already growing demand for manufacturers to develop countermeasure-based
unmanned systems that can be deployed across the armed forces and carry out countermeasure operations independently. In April 2021, the US Navy awarded a contract to Textron Inc. for the development of an Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) for mine warfare applications.
The USVs at RIMPAC included Ghost Fleet Overlord test ships Nomad and Ranger, which were originally developed by the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office. Sea Hunter, which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and its sister ship, Seahawk, also took part in the exercise. Sea Hunter and Seahawk are considered medium-sized USVs. Seahawk is the designation of the second Sea Hunter MDUSV being operated by the Navy, also built by Leidos. The company described the Seahawk as a long-range, high-availability autonomous surface vessels with a composite trimaran hull.
Between 2021 to 2025, the U.S. Navy is expected to spend approximately US$12 billion
for unmanned aircraft, surface vessels, and underwater systems.
Textron Systems Corporation is developing the UISS programme which is based on its Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (CUSV). The CUSV as a multi-mission unmanned surface vehicle, has the capability of carrying multiple payloads including side-scan sonar, mine neutralization, non-lethal weapons, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors.
The UISS is the USN’s first USV programme of record and completed developmental tests
and operational assessment in 2020, becoming the first Navy USV to reach this milestone.
The UISS provides unmanned mine counter measure and capabilities using interchangeable payloads and advanced sensors and is part of a comprehensive Mine Counter Measure Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MCM USV) mission and is designed to be deployed from the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and vessels of opportunity.
L3Harris Technologies has also won a Navy order for its Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) programme, which is the first USV programme to support the Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations strategy. The US$35 million initial award was part of a US$281 million programme that includes a prototype and options for a total
of nine MUSVs.
L3Harris will integrate the company’s ASView autonomy technology into a purpose-built
195-foot commercially derived vehicle from a facility along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. The MUSV will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to the fleet while maneuvering autonomously and complying with international Collision Regulations, even in operational environments
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