To examine to feasibility for using greater numbers of unmanned and autonomous systems in maritime environments, the Royal Navy is conducting Unmanned Warrior. Scheduled for the last quarter of 2016, the large-scale technology demonstration off the west coast of Scotland will showcase air, surface and sub-surface vehicles and sensors.
According to the Navy, Unmanned Warrior is a multinational event involving 40 research and development companies as well as the US Navy and the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE). Part of the second stage of the Joint Warrior naval exercises, it includes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV).
These vehicles and their sensors and software will be subjected to a number of challenges based on themes from a 2015 workshop. These will consist of Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW); Information, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR); Command and Control; Hydrographic and Geointelligence; and Mine Countermeasures (MCM).
"We have deliberately adopted a different approach to capability demonstration, in that the MOD is inviting participants to offer their thoughts on what future capability might look like and where technology can be exploited without any preconceptions," says Fleet Robotics Officer Commander Pipkin.
Source: Royal Navy