US Navy Combat Shooting: Unmanned Platforms Will Help Hit Your Target Out of Sight
Drones, submarines, destroyers, planes and helicopters – in the United States conduct large-scale training of the navy with combat fire: writes Defense Express.
This week off the coast of California, the U.S. Navy began training to test the interaction of drones, autonomous surface and submarines in integrated combat at sea to support manned platforms.
Unmanned and underway!🌊
The Sea Hawk and Sea Hunter medium displacement unmanned surface vessels operate near Naval Base Point Loma for the #USPacificFleet’s Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem 21 (@UXSIBP 21). #UxSIBP21 #USNavy #US3rdFleet pic.twitter.com/ZzmGw2TrTt
— U.S. Pacific Fleet (@USPacificFleet) April 21, 2021
This is the main goal of the US Pacific Fleet exercises aimed at “practicing unmanned command and control, tactics, methods and procedures, as well as providing our operators with experience in working with unmanned systems at sea in combat.” According to the 3rd Fleet, which oversees the training, they will last from 19 to 26 April.
It is known that the following unmanned or autonomous systems take part in the exercises: unmanned surface ships Sea Hunter (SH1) and Seahawk (SH2); Vanilla ultra-long-range unmanned aerial vehicle; UAV MQ-8B Fire Scout and MQ-9 Sea Guardian; two-module underwater and surface autonomous device Ocean Aero Triton-Class, etc.
Unmanned surface ship Sea Hunter, behind you can see the stealth destroyer Zumwalt, which is also involved in training. Photo: US Navy
Naval ships such as the coastal warships USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) and USS Coronado (LCS-4) also took part in the exercises; USS Anchorage dock amphibian (LPD-23); missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59); destroyers with guided missiles USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001), USS Spruance (DDG-111), USS John Finn (DDG-113), USS Stockdale (DDG-106) and USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62); USS Hampton strike submarine (SSN-767); and several aircraft, including the P-8A Poseidon patrol, the E-2C Hawkeye DRLV, the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, and the MH-60R Seahawk and MH-60S Knighthawk helicopters.
Follow @UXSIBP to get updates from all the happenings with our Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem 21, featuring unmanned capabilities "Above the Sea, On the Sea and Below the Sea." #UxSIBP21 #USNavy #ForceToBeReckonedWith https://t.co/K4wRNlm5zF
— U.S. Pacific Fleet (@USPacificFleet) April 21, 2021
The training will focus on assessing the capabilities of manned / unmanned groups in three main areas: reconnaissance and surveillance; aiming and rocket firing; manned / unmanned combination of surface, air and underwater systems and platforms.
It is alleged that as part of these exercises, the military plans to launch a missile at the target, using sensors from various unmanned systems. At the same time, it is noted that the target to be destroyed by the missile is out of sight. However, the type of missile and platform that will be involved in combat firing are not reported. In general, these combat shootings will be part of “operationally complex scenarios and episodes.”
The military is watching exercises with a Zumwalt-type destroyer
Thus, the US Navy continues to increase the volume of testing, demonstration and prototyping of unmanned systems and autonomous technologies in order to implement these systems in the fleet. At the same time, the military, which is involved in both the exercises themselves and their planning, should help developers understand how best to use different unmanned platforms in combat.