Sea Drone Warfare has Arrived, and the US is Floundering
firm that supplies the U.S. Navy with the WAM-V, an autonomous surface drone."You hit the fact that there is a military industrial complex that has the best lobbyists and knows exactly how the money flows and contracting works in the DOD."A WAM-V unmanned surface vessel operates in the Arabian Gulf, Nov. 29, 200 during Digital Horizon 2022. The three-week unmanned and artificial intelligence integration event involved employing new platforms in the region for the first time. (Photo: Brandon Murphy / U.S. Army)A Navy spokesperson said it "acquires capabilities based on fleet demand signals&qu
PODCAST: “All in the [Gallaudet] Family”
Academy, we were using side-scan sonar to do surveys and collect data in the Chesapeake Bay.My first tour was going to graduate school at Scripps where I worked with multibeam sonar and satellite imagery. I went on a few cruises on a couple of Scripps ships, and then I immediately deployed to the Arabian Gulf and worked on a hydrographic survey ship, towing side-scan sonar and operating multibeam sonar, and using other types of collection equipment like conductivity, temperature and depth profilers.Throughout my Navy career, I've been able to see the advance of those technologies moving more into
Unmanned Maritime Systems Development Accelerates
that presages the future use of these USVs for a variety of important military missions, Digital Horizon is a good exercise to unpack to understand the strides made with these systems. Here is how one analyst previewed this exercise:A flotilla of unmanned floating sensor platforms is underway in the Arabian Gulf to help the U.S. Navy find and respond to abnormal maritime activity…Digital Horizon is integrating 15 different types of unmanned systems—10 of them operating with the U.S. 5th Fleet for the first time—as well as communications, artificial intelligence and machine learning
U.S. Navy: Unmanned Maritime Systems Development Accelerates
that presages the future use of these USVs for a variety of important military missions, Digital Horizon is a good exercise to unpack to understand the strides made with these systems. Here is how one analyst previewed this exercise:A flotilla of unmanned floating sensor platforms is underway in the Arabian Gulf to help the U.S. Navy find and respond to abnormal maritime activity…Digital Horizon is integrating 15 different types of unmanned systems—10 of them operating with the U.S. 5th Fleet for the first time—as well as communications, artificial intelligence and machine learning
US Navy Sends a USV Through the Strait of Hormuz
integration of unmanned and artificial intelligence systems by U.S. maritime forces in the Middle East.The L3 Harris Arabian Fox MAST-13 USV was accompanied by a pair of Sentinel-class Coast Guard cutters, USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141) and USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146), sailing south from the Arabian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz before entering the Gulf of Oman. The vessels are operating in support of the International Maritime Security Construct, an 11-nation coalition led by the United States that focuses on maritime operations near key waterways in the Middle East.The first-of-its-kind
HII and Ocean Aero Partner to Expand Capabilities of Their Unmanned Systems
ocean’s surface and relays it to users from anywhere at any time. The companies are each involved in several unmanned maritime systems initiatives and exercises across the globe. Ocean Aero recently completed Digital Horizon, the U.S. Fifth Fleet Maritime Domain Awareness exercise in the Arabian Gulf, where HII’s REMUS vehicles (MK18 Mod 1 and MK18 Mod 2) have been deployed continuously since 2013.The HII-Ocean Aero team is planning to demonstrate their combined capabilities at an upcoming event in the region, in addition to other planned events and exercises for U.S. and international
DriX USV Takes Part in Middle East Naval Exercise
take part in the two-week 2023 International Maritime Exercise (IMX 23), that will be held in Bahrain and Jordan from March 5 to 16.Middle East region’s largest naval exercise, IMX23 is a multinational event involving more than 50 partner-nations and international organizations operating in the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, Indian Ocean and East African coastal regions. The exercise will include 7,000 personnel, 35 ships and more than 30 unmanned and artificial intelligence systems, including Exail DriX USV.As part of this exercise, the DriX USV – along with the industrial
US Kicks Off Unmanned & AI Systems Integration Event in Bahrain
25,000 hours, which equates to 12 years of nine-to-five testing five days a week. The Saildrone Explorer USV in particular has operated at sea for as long as 220 consecutive days without refueling or maintenance.NAVCENT is headquartered in Manama, Bahrain and includes maritime forces operating in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb
Iran Caught Trying to Capture US Navy Sea Drone
The U.S. Navy said it thwarted an Iranian attempt to capture one if its unmanned surface vessels (USV) in the Arabian Gulf.While transiting international waters around 11 p.m. (local time), Aug. 29, U.S. 5th Fleet observed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) support ship Shahid Baziar towing a Saildrone Explorer USV in an attempt to detain it. U.S. Navy patrol coastal ship USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) was operating nearby and immediately responded. U.S. 5th Fleet also launched an MH-60S Sea Hawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, based in Bahrain.The actions taken by U.S.
