Avoiding accidental armageddon: Report urges new safety rules for unmanned systems

Avoiding accidental armageddon: Report urges new safety rules for unmanned systems
Avoiding accidental armageddon: Report urges new safety rules for unmanned systems

Even if China doesn’t agree to or abide by new “confidence-building measures,” CNAS scholar Tom Shugart says, the US and its allies should adopt them unilaterally to reduce the risk of accidents or worse in the West Pacific.

French underwater drone swarm maker bids to reshape maritime surveillance missions

French underwater drone swarm maker bids to reshape maritime surveillance missions
French underwater drone swarm maker bids to reshape maritime surveillance missions

A company official told Breaking Defense that the micro AUV market is relatively niche, but new startups are beginning to pop up, and it’s likely a similar trend to the proliferation of uncrewed aerial systems and uncrewed ground combat systems will soon emerge in the naval domain.

Commander: Navy’s new Task Group 59.1 to usher unmanned systems into ‘operational realm’

Commander: Navy’s new Task Group 59.1 to usher unmanned systems into ‘operational realm’
Commander: Navy’s new Task Group 59.1 to usher unmanned systems into ‘operational realm’

Lt. Luis Echeverria, the newly appointed commander of Task Group 59.1, spoke with Breaking Defense about the group’s role in integrating maritime drones into real-world operations.

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“The Influence of Sea Power” – Distributed Maritime Operations: Sensors, Networks & Effects

“The Influence of Sea Power” – Distributed Maritime Operations: Sensors, Networks & Effects
“The Influence of Sea Power” – Distributed Maritime Operations: Sensors, Networks & Effects

Part 3 of a narrative series illustrating how Elbit America’s USA-manufactured products enable customers to successfully accomplish their most demanding missions.

Anduril bets it can build 3 large autonomous subs for Aussies in 3 years

Anduril bets it can build 3 large autonomous subs for Aussies in 3 years
Anduril bets it can build 3 large autonomous subs for Aussies in 3 years

The sub will be both an important source of intelligence and targeting information and may have torpedo tubes and boast other weapons, but those details are still being hammered out.

Navy Plans Hammerhead Mines To Box In Chinese, Russian Subs

Navy Plans Hammerhead Mines To Box In Chinese, Russian Subs
Navy Plans Hammerhead Mines To Box In Chinese, Russian Subs

The Hammerhead mine would be delivered to sites by underwater drones, and “detect, classify, and defeat” manned or unmanned submarines, the Navy says.

PRC, Russian Subs May Soon Face UUV-Launched US Sea Mines

PRC, Russian Subs May Soon Face UUV-Launched US Sea Mines
PRC, Russian Subs May Soon Face UUV-Launched US Sea Mines

Head of the Unmanned and Small Combatants office, Rear Adm. Casey Moton, said the industry day was meant to, “stress the importance of the program to the fleet – they want it today, they need it today.”

Drones, Ro-Boats, & F-35 On Wheels: Marines Seek Tech For Major War

Drones, Ro-Boats, & F-35 On Wheels: Marines Seek Tech For Major War
Drones, Ro-Boats, & F-35 On Wheels: Marines Seek Tech For Major War

SAN DIEGO: Before the first human Marine hits the beach in the next war, long-range MUX drones will launch from ships to scout for threats. Next comes a wave of robotic small craft, Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) converted to carry sensors, jammers, missile launchers, even racks of mini-drones they can dump into the water to…

Clock Ticks As Argentine Submariners Run Out Of Air; US, Allies Race To Rescue

Clock Ticks As Argentine Submariners Run Out Of Air; US, Allies Race To Rescue
Clock Ticks As Argentine Submariners Run Out Of Air; US, Allies Race To Rescue

In an extraordinary international response, a dozen nations have poured assets into the stormy South Atlantic to help find and save 44 Argentine submariners from the missing sub San Juan. It’s a stark contrast to the last great submarine disaster, when Russia was slow to accept international help for the stricken Kursk in 2000 and lost all…

Worries Surface On New Navy Mine Warfare Plan

Worries Surface On New Navy Mine Warfare Plan
Worries Surface On New Navy Mine Warfare Plan

ANNAPOLIS: The Navy’s new plan to put mine-hunting gear on a wider range of warships could finally break mine warfare out of its ghetto — or it could keep mine-hunting the same redheaded stepchild but spread it across more decks. The Navy has experimented with integrating Mine Counter-Measures (MCM) onto ships that weren’t minesweepers before,…

Every Ship A Minesweeper? Navy Looks Beyond LCS

Every Ship A Minesweeper? Navy Looks Beyond LCS
Every Ship A Minesweeper? Navy Looks Beyond LCS

ANNAPOLIS: There are maybe half a million sea mines in arsenals around the world. To find and clear them, rather than rely solely on a small fleet of small Littoral Combat Ships, the Navy now wants at least some mine-hunting gear on a vessels ranging from modified oil tankers to catamarans to aircraft carriers. The…

Marines Need Speed From Ship To Shore

Marines Need Speed From Ship To Shore
Marines Need Speed From Ship To Shore

  ANNAPOLIS: Small, fast missile boats clear a path through coastal waters for Marine landing forces. Robot jet skis, surfboards, and mini-subs scout out landing sites ahead of the human force. High-speed landing craft carry troops, their gear, and vehicles to the beach. Those are some of the ideas the Marines are experimenting with as…

Underwater Bloodhounds: DARPA’s Robot Subs

Underwater Bloodhounds: DARPA’s Robot Subs
Underwater Bloodhounds: DARPA’s Robot Subs

Run silent, run deep — and now, run in packs? Submarines are traditionally lone wolves, but the rise of robotics is starting to change that. Just yesterday, defense contractor BAE announced a $4.6 million award from DARPA to build an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) to accompany manned submarines, helping them spot targets by sending out…

SecNav Nominee Spencer Soft-Pedals Trump’s 355-Ship Navy, Touts Robots

SecNav Nominee Spencer Soft-Pedals Trump’s 355-Ship Navy, Touts Robots
SecNav Nominee Spencer Soft-Pedals Trump’s 355-Ship Navy, Touts Robots

CAPITOL HILL: Amidst a bipartisan lovefest of a confirmation hearing, Navy Secretary nominee Richard  Spencer quietly and consistently downplayed the idea of a 355-ship fleet. The Navy now has 276 ships from supercarriers to minesweepers, President Trump promised 350 on the campaign trail, and the Chief of Naval Operations has officially assessed that he needs 355.…