LUSV Ranger
In August, we posted about how Ukrainian naval drones are redefining warfare in the Black Sea in Ukraine’s battle against the ongoing Russian invasion. On the other side of the globe, two US Navy unmanned surface vessels (USV) arrived in Yokosuka, Japan in mid-September, during a period of increasing tensions with China.
The USVs are significantly different from the Ukrainian drones in both size and strategy. The USVs Mariner and Ranger are a part of the US Navy’s Ghost Fleet Overlord, a program for prototyping multi-mission unmanned vessels that was started in 2018. Ghost Fleet Overlord is a program of the Department of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office being executed in partnership with the US Navy.
In the month prior, the ships participated in exercises including the Large Scale Exercise 2023 — operating in conjunction with the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its strike group — while the Navy evaluated the new technology, according to Cmdr. Jeremiah Daley, head of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One.
“During these operations, we seek to gather new insights into these emerging technologies to provide essential learning opportunities for our leadership to set a course for future unmanned projects and additional prototypes; and eventually full integration into fleet operations,” Daley told media pierside at Yokosuka.
Mariner and Ranger are technology demonstrators for the Navy’s Large USV. The service is set to finalize requirements for the first LUSV by the end of the year and wants to have nine under contract by Fiscal Year 2028, USNI News reported earlier this year.
According to reports, these vessels have a cargo-carrying capability of two 20-foot and four 40-foot containers. The containers also frequently have extra systems and sensors crucial to the vessel’s operation.
The two drone vessels also have an Aegis combat system from Lockheed Martin and can connect with other Aegis ships in the fleet. The US Navy has test-fired SM-6 interceptor missiles from these drone boats. The Ranger was the first vessel delivered to the Navy under the program, while the Mariner was the third and was inducted in August 2022.
In one operational scenario, a guided-missile destroyer and two USVs could potentially replace three destroyers on a “tactical level,” Daley said. The swap would represent a fraction of the cost and manpower needed to field three destroyers.
The ships could also strengthen defenses against weapons such as ballistic missiles, he said, and the Navy is exploring that capability.
Primarily, the ships would allow the Navy to expand its presence in the Pacific.
“Having smaller, capable platforms that can connect tactically” allows manned vessels to operate at farther distances from potential enemies while “keeping the tactical picture and tactical relevancy,” he said.
The vessels are capable of fully autonomous operations in the open sea and can be controlled from a shore-based operations center or from a nearby ship.
Eurasian Times reports that the arrival of the USVs in Japan has been hailed as a relatively rare and intriguing development by military watchers, especially amid rising regional tensions. The news also corresponds with Taiwan disclosing that about 103 Chinese warplanes flew towards the island on September 18, at a new daily high. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) also urged Beijing to stop “military harassment.”
It is believed that any conflict fought over Taiwan would inadvertently drag Japan due to its proximity to Taipei. To bolster its capability at sea against adversaries like China, the US Navy is working on a plan that requires the service to field manned-unmanned sea systems over the next decade, which would release weapons and fire missiles without onboard human engagement.