JARI, Chinese Drone
Both the US Navy and the Chinese Navy are working to develop “ghost fleets” of drone ships. The US Navy has been working on developing unmanned vessels since at least 2016. Four years ago, we posted about Sea Hunter, the first ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), a 132 feet long autonomous drone ship designed to track enemy submarines.
Since then they have experimented with turning two existing commercial fast supply vessels into unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Having successfully completed Phase I testing, the Navy’s Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) has started the second phase of an unmanned vessel program that it calls “Ghost Fleet Overlord.”
Marine Log reports that Phase II will be conducted using the same ships as in Phase I and will focus on the integration of government-furnished command-and-control systems and payloads and involve more complex and challenging naval experimentation. Phase II will complete in Fiscal Year 2021 at which point the Overlord vessels will transition to the Navy for further experimentation.
The Chinese Navy has also been busy. As reported by the South China Morning Post:
China’s new killer robot ship that can carry out anti-submarine and anti-ship missions has undergone its first sea trial, according to a Chinese defence industry magazine.
Called the JARI, the unmanned surface vessel is said to be the world’s first USV with multiple roles – anti-submarine, air defence and surface combat – and powerful weaponry. …
Equipped with an active phased array radar and other advanced electronic systems – similar to those on the US Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyer or China’s Type 052D guided-missile destroyer – it has been dubbed the “mini Aegis destroyer”. Its sonar system can track underwater targets 7km (4 miles) away.
The 15-metre (49-foot), 20-tonne (22-short ton) ship is being developed by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) and has a range of 500 nautical miles and a top speed of 42 knots.
Its weaponry gives it the scope to carry out anti-submarine, air defence and anti-ship missions. The drone has a 30mm (one-inch) cannon, close-range air defence missiles, two small surface-to-air and anti-ship missile launchers and two anti-submarine torpedo launchers.
“The JARI USV can be loaded onto an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship to provide their strike groups with extra reconnaissance and attack platforms,” the report said.
We had a radio controlled mine clearing boat in the Mekong. Towed a grapnel at high speed ( IO drive with a big gas engine). Idea was to grab the control line for a command detonated mine. I don’t know if it actually worked but driving it by hand from a motorcycle seat was a hoot. I can see remotely controlled boats being pretty handy in some other kinds of mine clearance.
Waiting for the day when they decide to do a live fire against each other “for giggles”. And one of those torpedos goes awry from the scene and takes out a cruise ship or some such thing.
A drone ship, with Windows?
Phil? I am thinking those are missle hatches.