According to the Royal Navy, Unmanned Warrior will be the biggest ever event of its kind, and should provide lessons that will help shape the future of naval warfare.
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The 32ft vessel – with the snappy title Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed, or Mast for short – can be controlled by remote control or operated without guidance.
This design is meant to reduce fuel consumption, control pitch and roll motions, and reduce wake.
But the sleek matt black Bladerunner boats, which can reach speeds of more than 70mph, are already in use by foreign navies including Iran. It is planned that MAST will be a test platform for a range of autonomous technologies and systems that the Ministry of Defence is exploring.
The 34ft boat can skim across the waves at more than 50kts to track high speed targets, while navigating and dodging other ships without the control of a human.
It does not carry weapons, but is created to explore autonomous capabilities and support non-lethal surveillance and reconnaissance roles.
Mast will be used by the Royal Navy as a testbed for new autonomous maritime technologies, and is one of over 40 autonomous systems taking part in the British Military’s upcoming Unmanned Warrior exercise, which takes place off the coast of West Wales, North-West Scotland and the Western Isles this autumn.
“It’s actually easier to make unmanned surface vessels than it is to fly them in the air”, one Royal Navy officer said as we watched MAST turn nimble circles on the Thames.
MAST is able to operate autonomously in an unmanned mode, sensing and avoiding other vessels in its vicinity.
“The growing scale of Unmanned Warrior is a clear demonstration of the Royal Navy’s ambition to lead and win through technological innovation”.
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Even tough it can navigate and avoid collisions autonomously and can be operated via remote control, Mast has a coxswain on board to take control if required because of Port of London bylaws, which also limited the speeds at which it could travel, United Kingdom defense Journal reported Tuesday.
