Expansion of Australia’s fleet of Bluebottle uncrewed boats is an important step, but it must not be the last in creating a larger and more powerful navy that mixes such systems with conventional warships.
The acquisition, announced on March 11, will expand the fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to 55 from the current 15. The larger number of USVs will give the navy greater intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability and act as a force multiplier in operations.
For example, by having persistent uncrewed systems operating in large numbers, naval surface combatants will have better situational awareness of their operational environment. Defence can exploit the Bluebottles to gain awareness of activities within Australia’s maritime approaches and potentially beyond, across areas of primary military interest, depending on where the craft can be deployed.
Head of Navy Capability Rear Admiral Stephen Hughes said the Bluebottles, "will provide the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with flexible, persistent and capable long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance …. These vessels can autonomously monitor designated areas for lengths of time in dangerous and harsh maritime conditions.
"The contract represents a significant step forward in the acquisition of uncrewed systems for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and it highlights how innovative partnerships deliver results for navy capability."
The USVs can detect both surface and undersea threats. After adding to them the sensors on aircraft such as the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and response aircraft and the MQ-4C Triton uncrewed surveillance aircraft, the result is a system of systems that will give the ADF much greater awareness of activities in key focal regions. The future may also see space-based surveillance capability added to that mix.
The Bluebottles provide a long-endurance surveillance capability at low operating and acquisition cost. The ocean-going boats are powered by solar, wind and wave energy and thus can stay on station for longer than conventionally powered ships.
With low costs, the USVs can be acquired in large numbers. Beyond surface and subsurface surveillance, they can contribute to electromagnetic warfare and act as communications nodes in a networked command and control system.
But that expanded fleet of 55 Bluebottles must be only the beginning of the process. Platforms such as these must also fully exploit continuous modernisation processes to take full advantage of rapid innovation cycles for fast evolution of their capabilities.
In terms of where the RAN and Defence take systems such as the USV, the goal should be a rapid expansion of investment into a range of uncrewed systems operating in the air (including some launched from crewed ships) and on and below the waves.
The Bluebottle is an ISR platform; it’s not designed to be armed. But other new uncrewed equipment, such as the Leidos Sea Archer USV, could be armed and integrated into crewed and autonomous teaming.
The navy and Defence need to look at how armed USVs such as the Sea Archer can play an important role in future multi-domain operations, but they will also need to expand the fleet of Bluebottles.
Certainly, a step up to 55 Bluebottles is a good move. But given Australia’s vast maritime operational environment and the need to sustain forward maritime surveillance in wartime, more will be needed.
In considering a hypothetical scenario, the ADF could deploy Bluebottles, as well as uncrewed air and space-based ISR, to act as forward sensor platforms to detect a threat. These could then cue long-range fires from crewed naval vessels, such as the navy’s future upgraded Mogami-class frigates.
The information could also support swarm attacks by large numbers of armed USVs such as Sea Archer. The navy could also deploy Anduril Ghost Shark uncrewed submarines and crewed nuclear submarines to detect and counter submarine threats.
Naval forces—both crewed and uncrewed—could then work alongside other systems, including land-based aircraft (such as the P-8A Poseidon, F-35As and uncrewed MQ-28A Ghost Bats) and anti-ship missile launchers ashore. This is how multi-domain operations, using a mix of crewed and uncrewed systems operating as a team, could emerge.
Bluebottles will play a key role in enhancing the navy’s operational capability, but like any military system, they’ll need to constantly be modernised and enhanced to meet future threats.
The establishment of new production facilities in Sydney and an additional facility around Newcastle creates the opportunity for Defence to fully exploit rapid and continuous modernisation processes to enhance the capability of the Bluebottle. That is the key to rapidly expanding and evolving a cutting-edge autonomous warfare capability at sea, and it should be a basis for the navy’s development of uncrewed systems.
Article reprinted with permission from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's analysis and commentary site The Strategist.
