Navy Drone Explosion Still Needs “Big-Deck” Ships

Video Above Navy Ocean Attack Plan – Combined Air, Surface & Undersea Drones

*A top Warrior Maven article. Republished for viewer interest

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

It would not be an exaggeration to describe the Navy’s rapid acquisition of unmanned systems as a “drone explosion,” given the number of new surface, air and undersea platforms.

The service’s portfolio is extensive and includes various large, medium and small undersea and surface drones that are now at various stages of development. 

Unmanned Systems

The platforms range from large-unmanned submarine-like systems such as the XLUUV, or Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle to small mine-hunting, semi-autonomous undersea drones to surface drone platforms such as the Unmanned Surface Vehicle-Medium. The advent of new technologies, fortified by emerging levels of Ai-enabled autonomy, continues to quickly reshape concepts of operation for warfare.

Maritime warfare is expected to be more dispersed and defined in large measure by breakthrough weapons and sensors with much greater range, precision and data-transmission capability. Unmanned systems, and cross-domain air, surface and undersea networking in particular, form the conceptual basis of what could be called a transformation.