Designed
for anti-tank warfare, possibly the last place you'd expect to see a
Rafael Spike fire-and-forget guided missile would be at sea, let alone
on a robotic boat, but they may offer a step towards revolutionising sea
warfare. The US Navy has for the first time launched six Spike missiles
from an unmanned surface vessel precision engagement module (USV PEM),
successfully hitting a floating target as far away as 3.5km.
The
demonstration was carried out by the Chief of Naval Operation's
Expeditionary Warfare Division and the Naval Sea Systems Command's Naval
Special Warfare Program Office as part of efforts to develop an arsenal
that could successfully engage armed small boat swarms.
The
USV PEM platform is an 11m-long inflatable hulled vessel armed with a
0.50 calibre gun alongside the missile launcher. Remotely operated by
shore-based sailors at the US Navy's Patuxent River base, the PEM aims,
fires and updates the missile in flight.
The Spike missile uses
electro-optic and infrared sensors to identify and lock onto the target
and send updated targeting information back to the operator through an
ultra-thin fibre optic tether.
"The USV PEM project was developed
in response to recent world events which have increased the concern over
swarms of small attack craft, as well as threat assessments outlined in
recent studies conducted by the Naval Warfare Development Command,"
said Naval Special Warfare Command assistant programme manager Mark
Moses.
"The study punctuates the effectiveness of these swarm
attacks against both military re-supply ships and naval vessels.
Technology demonstrated in this project can provide a capability to
combat terrorists who use small low-cost vehicles as weapons platforms."
Israel's pioneering Protector USV
Given
its pioneering and market-leading approach to unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) it is perhaps little surprise that Israel is ahead of the game in
armed USVs too.
Made
by Rafael Defense Systems, the Protector Unmanned Naval Patrol Vehicle
was deployed as far back as 2005 by the Republic of Singapore Navy,
which is continuously plagued by pirates in the Strait of Malacca.
The
rigid-hulled inflatable boat has since seen action supporting coalition
forces in the Persian Gulf and protecting shipping from pirates in the
Gulf of Aden.
Fitted with a remote-controlled, stabilised Mini
Typhoon Weapon Station that can operate a range of small-calibre guns,
its anti-terror mission payload includes a search radar and Toplite
electro-optical pod to enable detection, identification and targeting.
UK to move from underwater to surface
Royal Navy's Type 26 Global Combat Ship
In
August 2012 the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced new plans for a
fleet of armed maritime drones, including USVs, to reduce costs and
carry out dangerous and repetitive tasks in support of Royal Navy
operations.
Papers published by the Defence, Science and
Technology Laboratory (Dstl) sought help from defence manufacturers to
develop vessels which could provide greater support to maritime
operations, such as mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare and
missile defence.
The
document identified that USV technology could be used to track ships
and provide intelligence to maritime forces, particularly in combination
with other types of drones and in support of covert operations.
"A
range of unmanned systems including UUVs, unmanned surface vehicles
(USVs) and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) may be used to support these
maritime tasks and could be expected to perform a number of roles,
including, but not limited to, remote sensing, communications relay,
delivery of effects such as the deployment of weapons or
countermeasures," the report said.
Demonstrating the Royal Navy's
support for robotic vessels, its future warship, the Type 26 Global
Combat Ship, is specifically designed to launch and operate aerial,
underwater and surface drones.
Canada considering USV technology
In
June, Canada announced that the Royal Canadian Navy was also seeking a
fleet of maritime drones, including USVs. Defence Minister Peter MacKay
told The Canadian Press that while USV technology was in its infancy
compared with aerial drones, they could have a role to play in the near
future of the Canadian Navy.
"We're surrounded by water," he said.
"Unmanned vessels, like unmanned aerial vehicles, give us reach and
capability without the same risk. It allows you to keep harm at a
distance, so there's a lot of interest."
In May, the Canadian
Ministry of Defence awarded Rolls Royce Naval Marine Canada a C$3m
contract as part of a project to automate the deployment of USVs, for
everything from detonating mines to checking for oil spills.
Ecuador combating pirates with USVs
Not
all armed USV development is in the hands of the big spenders, some is
driven by necessity, such as the Ecuadorian Navy's bid to beat piracy in
its waters. In February, it tested its prototype USV, B.A.E. Esgrum, on
the Guayas River.
Developed
for coastal patrol and jungle operations, the Esgrum is less than two
metres-long, has a range of five kilometres and comes with an on-board
sensor suite, CPU, camera and communication system.
Its weapons
system consists of an electronically-ignited assault rifle with no
moving parts and a rocket launcher operated by a fire control system.
Built
using exclusively commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) materials without
technical assistance from other countries, the USV can be remotely
operated in remote mode or work in fully autonomous mode to carry out
surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Navy research director
Eduardo Cadena said: "Under ideal conditions, the USV can detect
installations occulted by high-density vegetation. Basically, you can't
see the robot, but the robot can see you."
* Article publicat a Naval Technology. Compartim amb vosaltres aquest article per l'ampli ventall en matèria d'unitats de superfície no tripulades, un tema de plena actualitat.
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