David Axe, National Interest: The U.S. Navy Is Developing Robot Warships for Fighting China
The goal, according to a June 2019 report from Ronald O’Rourke, a naval expert with the Congressional Research Service, is to deploy a fleet that can spread out during wartime, absorb Chinese missile attacks then quickly strike back.
While the American fleet throughout its history has shifted back and forth between naval concepts favoring fewer large ships or more smaller ones, the fleet architecture currently under development for the first time includes large numbers of robotic vessels.
The goal, according to a June 2019 report from Ronald O’Rourke, a naval expert with the Congressional Research Service, is to deploy a fleet that can spread out during wartime, absorb Chinese missile attacks then quickly strike back.
In today’s fleet of around 290 warships, there are two large warships such as 9,000-ton destroyers for every two small ones such as 3,000-ton Littoral Combat Ships. According to O’Rourke, the Navy wants to flip that ratio as it works toward a bigger fleet of as many as 355 ships. Sometime in the 2030s, there could be two small vessels for every large one.
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WNU Editor: The US. Navy is behind the air force when it comes to unmanned assets. But it looks like they are now catching up.
2 comments:
Computer guided vessels launching computer guided missiles seems to be a natural albeit reverse-like progression. Why the drone people who have in many ways replaced manned aircraft haven't taken over the Air force's inventory is strange.
I expect much riskier behavior by remote operators than manned vessels. When there’s no skin in the game, what’s to lose?
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