A UK-developed USV was recently christened while the Indonesian Navy has unveiled a new type of one-way attack craft. Separate partnerships have been formed for the manufacture of unmanned platforms for the US and European markets. Lastly, two US firms have conducted a demonstration sailing of a new long-range UUV.
UK-based unmanned systems manufacturer Zero USV has formally named the first example of a new series of unmanned surface vehicle (USV).
Zero USV said the fully autonomous vessel has been christened The Lady of the Lake after a character in Arthurian legend. Construction of the 17-metre USV was undertaken by Manor Marine at its Portland facilities.
Zero USV said the craft builds on the proven engineering and operational experience of the earlier 12-metre-long USV also developed by the company.
A group of Greek companies composed of Skaramangas Shipyards, Qualco Group and Olympic Marine have signed a memorandum of understanding to research, develop, produce and demonstrate a multi-purpose unmanned autonomous surface vessel.
The agreement covers the development of a dual-use autonomous vessel intended for defence, security and commercial applications in domestic and international markets.
Skaramangas Shipyards will contribute shipbuilding capabilities, while Qualco Group will provide software and artificial intelligence technology. Olympic Marine will support the project with its experience in manufacturing composite-material hulls.
US defence technology companies Raytheon and Composite Energy Technologies (CET) have successfully demonstrated the undersea launch capabilities of a new, low-cost, long-endurance unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV).
During a recent US Navy exercise, the UUV completed a series of at-sea missions on a navy undersea test range, successfully demonstrating its undersea launch capabilities while submerged. Raytheon parent company RTX said this marked the first time the US Navy has seen this integrated capability in the water.
"This demonstration is an important step in a broader roadmap to deliver autonomous, end‑to‑end undersea capabilities that are far less detectable than surface platforms," said Jen Gauthier, Vice President of Naval Systems and Sustainment at Raytheon. "By tightly coupling design, integration and at‑sea experimentation, we've proven we can bring new autonomous solutions to the fleet quickly and cost‑effectively."
The Indonesian Navy recently unveiled a new unmanned surface vehicle (USV) configured for the one-way attack role.
The USV participated in an exercise off the Riau Islands earlier this week. During the exercise, the craft was launched from the well deck of the Indonesian Navy hospital ship KRI Dr. Soeharso.
The USV then manoeuvred towards and struck a target just off a beach. However, photographs of the exercise showed that the craft was still intact after it struck the target, suggesting that it was not carrying live explosives.
Ukraine-origin and UK-based defence technology firm Uforce signed a memorandum of understanding with combatant craft manufacturer ReconCraft to build autonomous surface vessels in the US.
Under the agreement, Uforce will join US drone dominance initiatives to supply full-stack aerial, maritime, and ground unmanned systems alongside autonomy software and command-and-control technologies.
Uforce produces the Magura family of autonomous surface vessels. The company highlighted that these vessels contributed to the destruction of more than 12 Russian warships in the Black Sea. Its technology portfolio also includes the first autonomous surface vessel to down manned helicopters and fighter aircraft in combat.
