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Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the use of drones for military, as well as civilian purposes. A notable example is the Russia-Ukraine war, which has shown both sides managing to inflict significant damage using various drone technologies. Following this trend, many experts think that future wars will be fought with more and more drones and other tech and less with humans on the frontlines.
The Mako sea-drone (and the Mako Lite variant) from AEVEX Aerospace is a rugged, low-visibility unmanned surface vehicle (USV) that can carry out different operations, from carrying cargo to delivering personnel infiltration, intelligence surveillance, and even kamikaze missions. It is customizable and can be fitted with many additions, like extra fuel tanks, tools for enabling first-person view (FPV) control, a UAV launcher, a minigun, or a guided munition launcher.
According to AEVEX, the Mako has an endurance of up to 12.5 hours and a range of 463 km, while the Mako Lite has the same specifications with a lower fuel capacity. The Mako is 3.4 meters long, weighs approximately 405 kg when empty and can carry payloads of up to 90 kg. The Mako Lite is over 2.7 meters long, weighs approximately 205 kg when empty, and can carry payloads of up to 45 kg.
According to Interesting Engineering, both drones are fully unmanned and have GNSS navigation using a multi-constellation receiver and have a base 900 MHz LOS radio. AEVEX claims these vehicles capable of reaching speeds of over 90 kph are controlled by autonomous systems that use position, navigation, and timing solutions to maintain precise navigation and operational capability in GPS-denied environments. AEVEX also explained that the Mako can achieve autonomous navigation through algorithms and sensor fusion, enabling it to navigate, make decisions, and complete missions without any direct intervention.
The drones can be reportedly altered to fit many kinds of needs and missions using add-on kits that can be attached to the top of the base USV design.
