The US Navy emphasizes the importance of unmanned vehicle systems for maritime operations and especially in the event of a conflict with China, according to EurAsian Times.
“We will launch a training mission in early 2021 to assess the combat capabilities of the drone fleet (collectively for drones, warships and submarines) in the Indo-Pacific region. Pacific, ”Rear Admiral Robert Gaucher of the United States Pacific Fleet speaks at a recent annual defense show, according to Military.com.
“I wanted to send an unmanned warship into enemy areas to undermine the anti-access / anti-intrusion strategy (A2 / AD). If I lost it, we would only lose a much cheaper ship, no American soldiers died. Even so, I continue to create a situation to assess enemy defenses or cause them to waste ammunition on unmanned warships, ”Gaucher said. However, Mr. Gaucher did not specify what types of vehicles will be shipped to the Indo-Pacific.
The U.S. Navy is targeting a $ 2 billion defense budget to build 10 large unmanned warships over the next five years. Last year, the US Navy successfully tested the 40-meter self-propelled warship, the Sea Hunter, from San Diego state to Hawaii and vice versa, among other drone tests.
Sea Hunter Self-Propelled Warship of the US Navy
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Also at the defense fair, Leidos Defense Company President Gerry Fasano said: “The Sea Hunter program is a world leader in the design and manufacture of fully automated and unmanned naval ships. It was the first floor where Sea Hunter had completed a long-range mission. This shows the USN that the autonomous technology is ready to move from the development and testing phase to the evaluation of integration in combat missions ”.
Information about the drone battle group’s training mission comes after the Pentagon released its annual report last week, warning that the Chinese military is concentrating on strengthening its “expeditionary” capabilities and increasing its current capabilities. in the South China Sea.
China also has the largest navy in the world, with a fighting force totaling around 350 warships and submarines, compared to 293 American ships, according to the report.
