Posted: about 1 year ago
The most recent display of that maturity involved a USV traveling from the Gulf Coast to the coast of California, moving autonomously approximately 97% of the time. While the USV did have a crew on board, remote mission command and control for the trip was done from a remote location by sailors with Surface Development Squadron One.
One of the few times the USV was guided by its onboard crew was when it traversed the Panama Canal.
Optionally manned vessels provide a stepping stone to allow the navy and its sailors to more easily become familiar with the concept of autonomous operations than what would be possible with a fully autonomous ship.