Reuters: U.S. Navy's Unmanned Vessels Face Setbacks, China Containment Plans Under Scrutiny

Reuters reported on Wednesday (August 19) that after witnessing the impact of unmanned aerial vehicles and maritime unmanned vessels in the Ukraine war, the U.S. Navy realized it needed swarms of aerial drones and maritime unmanned vessels. However, failed tests of unmanned vessels by the U.S. Navy have also caused setbacks for its plans to counter China.

According to reports, a test conducted last month off the coast of California was intended to showcase the Pentagon's top autonomous maritime unmanned vessels, but one vessel experienced an unexpected malfunction. While officials were urgently dealing with the issue, another unmanned vessel directly collided with the starboard side of the faulty vessel, crashed over the deck, and then sank into the water, an incident captured in a video obtained by Reuters.

According to more than a dozen people familiar with the program, this previously unreported incident is one of a series of recent setbacks in the Pentagon's efforts to build an autonomous fleet, involving two ships built by American defense technology competitors Saronic and BlackSea Technologies.

According to four people who are familiar with the matter, several weeks ago, during another naval test, an unmanned vessel from BlackSea Technologies suddenly accelerated while being towed, causing the supporting towing vessel to capsize and the captain to be thrown into the water.

A person directly involved in the matter, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, told Reuters that both incidents stemmed from software failures and human errors, as well as communication issues between onboard systems and external autonomous software.

However, the U.S. Navy, Saronic, and BlackSea Technologies have not commented on the incidents.

Clark, an expert on autonomous operations at the Hudson Institute, analyzed that the recent test failures show the challenges the navy faces when deploying these early technologies. The navy must better understand what these systems can and cannot do before adjusting its tactics accordingly.

Since President Trump returned to the presidency, he has consistently prioritized the deployment of drone swarms as a key military focus. In the recently passed "Great America Act," nearly $5 billion will be allocated for maritime autonomous systems. However, so far, the navy's approach under the new administration still faces doubts.

Other Issues and Concerns

Reuters found that the U.S. Navy's problems go beyond getting these vessels into service: its procurement department for autonomous maritime drones has also been affected by the dismissal of its top commander, and a senior Pentagon official expressed concerns about the program during an open meeting with naval leadership last month.

The report states that in order to accelerate its drone development, the U.S. Department of Defense launched the "Replicator" program in 2023, which costs $1 billion, with the U.S. Navy and the Defense Intelligence Unit (DIU) planning to purchase thousands of aerial and maritime drones and their control software through this program. The first systems of the program will be announced this month.

According to procurement records, the U.S. Navy has committed at least $160 million in investment to BlackSea, which produces dozens of global autonomous reconnaissance boats per month.

The report states that last week, the U.S. Navy Engineering Office (PEO USC) began accepting proposals for modular attack surface vessels to procure medium and large vessels capable of carrying containers, surveillance equipment, and conducting strike missions. T.X. Hammes, an autonomous weapons expert and researcher at the Atlantic Council, said that the navy is entering uncharted territory, trying to rapidly overturn decades of tradition.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841017464513671/

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