Navy Increases Usage of Expeditionary Sea Base Ships for Drone, Helicopter and Staging Activity

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By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

Navy Expeditionary Sea Base ships continue to take on additional mission sets as the service continues to build the class of ships to expand forward presence, drone command and control, helicopter take-off and operational staging activities.

Expeditionary Sea Base Ships

The Navy has now embarked upon its eighth ESB in a clear effort to expand its ability to stage operations at sea. ESBs operate with four MH 53E helicopter landing spots, rigid inflatable boats and a hangar space for additional aircraft. They are also configured for berthing and Special Operations missions. They are the kind of boats likely to be in great demand in vital areas such as the Pacific.

“ESBs are equipped with a four-spot flight deck and hangar and are designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging support, and command and control,” a Navy report said.

The Navy essay said the ESB flight deck can support H53, H60, Hi and V22 tilt-rotor aircraft.

ESBs can function as command and control hubs or motherships in position to dispatch small, high-speed attack units or even launch drones. Launching and operating drones from an ESB can in large measure come to fruition by integrating Littoral Combat Ship mission systems onto the ship, Navy weapons developers have said.