The U.S. Navy unmanned ship USV Sea Hunter. Image: US Navy
The U.S. Navy established a new “Unmanned Surface Vessel Command” (USDIV) in May, and it is determined that it will send four unmanned surface ships to Hawaii to participate in the 2022 Rim of the Pacific Military Exercise (RIMPAC 2022), with combat fleet activities to help verify and Define the capabilities of unmanned ships and the ability to interact and integrate with general traditional fleets.
The unmanned ships that will join the 2022 Rim of the Pacific include trimarans USV Sea Hunter, USV Seahawk and transport support ship Shepherd, according to USNI News. “Nomad” and “Ranger”. The commander of the new division said that the four ships will be dispersed into three phases of the full exercise, working with different task force commanders to collect more data and understand the needs of combat commanders to promote the integration of the fleet and unmanned ships. .
U.S. Navy officials envision unmanned ships in the role of traditional fleet “auxiliary shooters,” equipped with reconnaissance sensing and weapons-launching systems to enhance the surface action group (SAG) attack capabilities, with amphibious assault ships or littoral combat ships serving as “auxiliary shooters.” The “Mothership” provides command and control, enhancing the overall operational advantage.
The U.S. Navy plans to acquire 3 additional unmanned ships in the next few years in addition to the current 4 medium and large unmanned surface ship test ships, and the third ship may no longer be a “refit” ship, and It is a completely new “prototype” hull. In terms of personnel, various talents such as hull maintenance, mechanical engineering, information engineering, and combat operations will be recruited, with a total of about 100 posts, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2022; while the expansion plan in 2023 is expected to have a total of 175 posts. .
It is understood that the “Sea Hunt” and the “Sea Eagle” of the same type are set as “Continuous Tracking Anti-Submarine Unmanned Vessel (Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel, ACTUV)” mainly for anti-submarine tracking tasks. The data shows that it can cruise for 70 days without having to There is no record of weapon delivery in the public information, only the “Sparse Supervisory Control” (Sparse Supervisory Control) verification, that is, the computer drives and controls the ship, using optical guidance and radar to avoid hitting obstacles or other ships. .
In the US “Ghost Fleet Overlord” (Ghost Fleet Overlord), the “Ranger” and “Shepherd” transport support ships will complete the “long-range autonomous transport” test in 2020 and 2021, respectively, from the eastern United States along the Gulf of Mexico, via The Panama Canal, sailing 4421 nautical miles, reached the west coast of the United States, of which 98% were operated in “autonomous mode”. The “Ranger” will test its modular equipment in September 2021, and successfully test-fire a new type of ship-to-air “Standard Six” (SM-6) missile capable of intercepting cruise missiles, developing a new cross-domain operational concept.
↓”Ranger” test-fired “Standard Six” (SM-6) missile↓
See the game-changing, cross-domain, cross-service concepts the Strategic Capabilities Office and @USNavy are rapidly developing: an SM-6 launched from a modular launcher off of USV Ranger. Such innovation drives the future of joint capabilities. #DoDInnovates pic.twitter.com/yCG57lFcNW
— Department of Defense (@DeptofDefense) September 3, 2021
The U.S. Navy established a new “Unmanned Surface Vessel Command” (USDIV) in May, and it is determined that it will send four unmanned surface ships to Hawaii to participate in the 2022 Rim of the Pacific Military Exercise (RIMPAC 2022), with combat fleet activities to help verify and Define the capabilities of unmanned ships and the ability to interact and integrate with general traditional fleets.
USS Ranger (front) and USS Nomad (rear) unmanned transport support ships. Image: US Navy