By
Paul McLeary on January 13, 2021 at 7:47 PM
The experimental unmanned Sea Hunter is the forerunner of the Navy’s proposed fleet of robotic warships.
WASHINGTON: The Navy is working on designs for its future Large and Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels that would allow them to support small crews for limited and specific missions, the service’s top unmanned systems officer said today.
Capt. Pete Small told the virtual Surface Navy convention that the Large USV will remain “essentially unmanned,” but will be equipped with room to berth a small crew to help getting underway and returning to a pier, refueling and doing repair work at sea. The Medium USV will not have the capacity to carry any sailors, however
Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. December 22, 2020
Shipbuilder Halter Marine is teaming with naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox, Inc., on the U.S. Navy’s contract to perform design studies for the development of the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV). The LUSV studies contract has an anticipated completion date of August 2021 with an option for additional studies, which would extend the forecasted completion date to May 2022.
The LUSV will be a high-endurance ship able to accommodate various payloads for unmanned missions to augment the Navy’s manned surface force, according to the Navy’s program summary. Plans call for a vessel about 200 to 300 feet long that can function either partially or completely autonomously.
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