NAVAL DRONES

San Diego's ABC affiliate recently did an informative piece featuring Captain Duane Ashton, from Naval Sea Systems Command Program Executive Office for Littoral and Mine Warfare Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office (PMS 406).  Capt Ashton discusses some of the stand-off unmanned mine countermeasures capabilities under development for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) including the Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS)  and the Knifefish UUV. 

Robots are frequently advertised as designed to perform jobs that are too dangerous, dirty, or boring for humans to accomplish.  Unmanned naval systems have also often been touted as a way to reduce the most expensive component of a Navy's budget - manpower - arguably a claim that has been hard to prove with some platforms.  However, an ongoing U.S. Navy robotics program might actually live up to both of these expectations.   Under a program initiated by the Office of Naval Research in 2009, SeaRobotics has delivered the latest variant of the  HullBUG (Hull Bio-inspired [formerly bio-memetic] Underwater Grooming)robot cleaner for  testing at ONR's Port Canaveral Large Scale Seawater Facility before the system moves into production.  HullBUG will autonomously remove the bio-fouling such as algae and barnacles that grow on ship's hulls.  Previous versions of HullBUG were tested on frigates at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Naval Surf