The US Navy Took Another Step Toward Building A Fleet Of Robotic Ships

The experimental unmanned Sea Hunter is the forerunner of the Navy’s proposed fleet of robotic warships.

Breaking Defense: Navy Awards Study Contracts On Large Unmanned Ship – As Congress Watches Closely

Today's deals for designs -- Large Unmanned Surface Vessels displacing 2-3,000 tons -- reflect the 'take it slow' approach being forced on the service.

WASHINGTON: The Navy took another step toward building a fleet of robotic ships today, awarding several shipbuilders contracts worth a cumulative $41 million to begin developing requirements and potential designs for a new class of Large Unmanned Surface Vessels.

The LUSV has been the object of sustained interest from members of Congress wary of the Navy’s spotty track record of building first-in class ships, who’ve demanded the service take it slow and get its requirements in order before bending steel.

The ship is being envisioned as a critical part of a radically modernized fleet that will rely heavily on unmanned ships to scout ahead of manned vessels, conduct electronic jamming and deception, launch long-range missiles at targets found by other forces, and act as a picket line to keep Chinese and Russian ships and submarines away from American aircraft carriers, and far-flung bases.

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Update: U.S. Navy Invests $40M in Large Unmanned Vessel Development (Maritime Executive).

WNU Editor: The US Air Force has their drone fleet. The U.S. Navy now wants there own robot fleet. But they are still years behind the Air Force and Congress does not want this to happen .... In developing robot warships, US Navy wants to avoid another littoral combat ship (Defense News).

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