The Royal Navy has taken a major step towards the use of autonomous ships. During recent trials in Plymouth, the frigate HMS Argyll piloted an unmanned Pacific 24 inflatable boat (RIB) at sea.
During the week-long trials, which were carried out by the Royal Navy's technical division, NavyX, and BAE Systems, the cameras and sensors on board the boat constantly supplied data to the Argyll, and a temporary operations centre was set up in the ship's hangar. For the first time, the RIB's control system was also integrated into the ship's operations room so that it could be controlled and commanded from the same location as all other units on the ship. Not only could the ship remotely control the Pacific 24 from a distance of up to 10 miles, but it could also send tasks to the boat that it could then carry out independently, such as identifying targets on the water and directing the camera and remote weapon station to tracked targets. (For safety reasons, there were still sailors on board the boat during the remote-controlled mission).
For HMS Argyll, it was an opportunity to show the crew how an autonomous RIB can be used in the field. The advanced boat was able to carry out reconnaissance work and demonstrate how it can counter potential threats.
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