2013: The Year in Sea Drones

By -
What was the most significant development in unmanned naval systems for 2013?  Blog readers weighed in on this question and more during our survey.
  • Winning by a landslide, with 71% of the responses, was the successful carrier catapult shots and "traps" (arrested landings) of Northrop Grumman's X-47B.
ALANTIC OCEAN (Nov. 9, 2013) The experimental X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) conducts an arrested landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Theodore Roosevelt is the third carrier to test the tailless, unmanned autonomous air craft's ability to integrate with carrier environment. (US Navy photo By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anthony N. Hilkowski/Released)
The number of helicopter drones, like this Spanish
Skeldar, grew throughout the world's fleets in 2013.

  • Related to #1, the U.S. Navy's ever-changing UCLASS RFP was the third most notable development as judged in our survey.
According to our web stats, other popular stories this year include:
  • All things related to unmanned system carrying motherships.  Ranging in size and variety from amphibious assault ships, nuclear submarines, to patrol boats, and RHIBs, navies are focused on identifying the most efficient and effective platforms to host UAVs, UUVs, and USVs.
Coastal Command Boat with embarked Knifefish UUV.
  • A BQM-74E target drone's impact on the guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville that occurred during combat systems training in November. 
Workers apply a temporary patch to the starboard side of CG-62.
  • Reports of China's UAV swarms garnered some attention as they enhance the growing Anti-access/Area Denial capability in the Western Pacific.
    China's Sharp Sword UCAV made its first flight in 2013.
  • Iran reportedly mass-produced a ScanEagle imitation based on UAVs it has recovered or "captured" from the Persian Gulf. 
    Iran's ScanEagle factory - real capability or deceptive mock-ups?
  • Unmanned systems again played a major role in this year's International Mine Countermeasure Exercise (IMCMEX) in the Persian Gulf.
A U.S. Navy unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) operator recovers a UUV after a successful run during International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) 13 in Qatar May 14, 2013
 Did we miss any?  Post your thoughts in the comments.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2013 Naval Drones Survey

By -
What are the latest trends in unmanned systems?  What technologies show the most promise to enhance future naval operations?  Readers of this site represent naval and industry professionals, academics, and other interested parties from more than 160 countries. We're offering an anonymous survey to understand this wealth of knowledge contained in our readers' insights and experience.  The results will be discussed in future posts in this space.  Please take a few minutes to respond to the 8 easy questions. Link for mobile sites: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RT5YKFB *Note - you will not be emailed, phoned, nor otherwise accosted for responding.
Read more...

Inspector Gadgets: Drones in the Hangar

By -
Image
Checking an aircraft for damage can be arduous and meticulous work,  but last week’s issue of  The Economist   highlights  an experimental commercial approach. In simple terms, the Remote Intelligent Survey Equipment for Radiation ( RISER ) drone is a quadcopter with LIDAR and forms the basis for a system to use lasers to automatically detect damage to airliners. The obvious naval application for inspector drones would be for ground-, carrier, and surface vessel-based fixed-wing and helicopter units, although the configurations for each aircraft type and location might make some more practical than others. For example it probably makes more sense to consolidate expertise in inspector drones at regional maintenance and readiness centers than to try to outfit a unit in the small helicopter hangar of every destroyer. But there’s always something to be said for an operational capability. While  The Economist  notes that the drones are allowed at Luton airport, UK, to “operate only
Read more...

CATCH OF THE DAY: REFLECTIONS ON THE CHINESE SEIZURE OF A U.S. OCEAN GLIDER

By -
By Heiko Borchert On 15 December 2016, China seized an  Ocean Glider , an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), used by the U.S. Navy to conduct oceanographic tasks in international waters about 50-100 nautical miles  northwest of the Subic Bay port  on the Philippines. Available information suggests that the glider had been deployed from USNS  Bowditch  and was captured by Chinese sailors that came alongside the glider and grabbed it “despite the radioed protest from the  Bowditch  that it was U.S. property in international waters,” as the  Guardian  reported. The U.S. has “ called upon China  to return the UUV immediately.” On 17 December 2016 a  spokesman of the Chinese Defense Ministry  said China would return the UUV to the “United States in an appropriate manner.” Initial legal assessments by U.S. scholars like  James Kraska and Paul Pedrozo  suggest the capture is violating the law of the sea, as the unmanned glider can be defined as a vessel in international maritime law tha
Read more...