For the first time, the world's largest naval exercise at RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) 2022 saw the participation of an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) prototype. At least four USVs belonging to the United States Third Fleet are deployed to provide warfare capability and extend the reach of the US Navy's (manned) fleet with less risk in each operation.
Quoted from navalnews.com (26/7/2022), the four USVs deployed at RIMPAC 2022 are Seahawk, Sea Hunter, Nomad and Ranger, which will carry out various missions. In a release issued by the Third Fleet, the four USVs will operate alongside manned trainee ships, carry payloads, provide data/intelligence information, and most importantly, collect data in real-world environments to determine how they will function in the larger fleet. .
“The integration of an autonomous USV with a manned combatant warship will provide fleet commanders with a much-needed upgrade to maritime domain awareness, thereby increasing decision-making speed,” said Captain Scot Searles, program manager of the Unmanned Maritime Systems (PMS 406).
The asset of PMS 406 participating in RIMPAC 2022 is the Ghost Fleet Overlord Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) consisting of the USV Nomad and USV Ranger. Then there are Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicles consisting of the USV Sea Hunter and USV Seahawk. Although operated and maintained by PMS 406, the USV fleet is controlled by the Surface Development Squadron.
Of all the types of USV, the best known is the USV Sea Hunter, because the design of this USV adopts a trimaran outrigger mounted on the back of the hull. USV Sea Hunter was built by Vigor Industrial and acquired in April 2016 in sea trial status to date.
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Ghost Fleet Overlord Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV Ranger) |
USV Sea Hunter is powered by 2x diesel engines capable of propelling the ship at a speed of 27 knots. This unarmed USV can cover a range of 19,000 km with an endurance of 30 – 90 days without supply. The USV Sea Hunter has a length of 40 meters and a standard weight of 135 tons and a full weight of 145 tons.
China has so far built a copy of the USV Sea Hunter. The trimaran appeared in September 2020. By China, the USV was built at a small shipyard on the Yangtze river, Jiang Tongfang New Shipbuilding, which is usually associated with large Chinese naval projects.
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