“For some navies, awareness is no longer a sufficient end,” said former Vice Adm. John Mustin, currently the president of Saildrone. This statement reflects the evolving mind-set within the naval community, as USVs shift from passive observation to active defense and strike operations.
The latest collaboration between Saildrone and Lockheed Martin is one such example. The 20-meter Saildrone Surveyor, which was previously recognized for its endurance-based ocean expeditions, will now feature the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile launcher developed by Lockheed Martin. The larger Saildrone variants are currently being tested for their capability to use the Mk 70 containerized vertical launch system, which will allow them to fire different missiles, including strike missiles with long-range capability. This collaboration has been supported by a $50 million investment by Lockheed Martin.
This project seems to fit well within the vision the US Navy has for its hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned ships. As part of the Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) program, the US Navy wants designs for the ships that focus on modular payloads and not rigid hull designs. These ships will be designed to operate in conjunction with the carrier and expeditionary strike groups and will have the capability for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and strikes with reduced risks for manned ships. The MASC design calls for rapid production and commercial-grade construction and the capability to carry a containerized payload such as the Mk 70 launcher.
In the case of Saildrone, the shift from environmental surveillance to deterrence by force is supported by a decade of operational experience. Their platforms have accumulated more than 380,000 nautical miles and have tracked over two million vessels. Their strategy integrates renewable power systems, autonomous navigation, and secure command and control communications to facilitate sustained operations in distant areas. Although Mustin is adamant that “any strike capability would have a human firmly in the loop,” the addition of AI-enabled sensing and targeting is definitely an important step forward for unmanned naval operations.
The latest naval exercises have shown the versatility of the containerized launchers. The Mk 70 Payload Delivery System, which is based on the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System, has already been tested on unmanned ships, Littoral Combat Ships, and even on land. Such solutions essentially enable the separation of the missile capability and the conventional warship design. This essentially means that a small unmanned ship can use the data provided by the sensors and strike a target that is hundreds of miles away.
Also having an impact on adoption rates are international events. There are now proven cases of weaponized unmanned surface vessels in battle that demonstrate how smaller vessels can potentially threaten bigger vessels that cost much more. But to transfer such success into other regions of operation, it is necessary to address issues of distance, sea state, and threat complexity. Such is reflected in Navy MASC specifications that include endurance in high sea states, autonomous avoidance of hazards, and operation for weeks without maintenance.
However, legal and legalistic matters are still involved. According to present understandings of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, “Armed unmanned vessels that have a human participant within the communication loop can be considered a warship under certain circumstances when operating under commissioned command and flying the marks of their national flag.” This will enable their incorporation into a fleet without creating doubts about their status when operating in international waters.
Looking ahead, Saildrone has plans for a proof-of-concept exercise and a live fire demonstration next year. If successful, it could help speed up the Navy’s timeline for operating armed unmanned surface vessels in its Distributed Maritime Operations concept. In terms of industry trends, it is a testament to a larger phenomenon that sees successful commercial technologies being used to rapidly provide military capabilities. In a military sense, it is another step towards a future that sees unmanned vessels not just serving a scouting mission.
