Pentagon Keen on Developing “Sea Train” of Unmanned Vessels

Pentagon Keen on Developing “Sea Train” of Unmanned Vessels

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The United States Military is searching for a new class of long-range USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle).  The Pentagon is researching the feasibility of USVs to conduct cross-ocean missions without having any sailors onboard. 

The United States Military has already reached advanced stages of testing USV. However, while these smaller USVs may be useful for surveillance, logistics, or communications, their lack in size make it difficult for these vessels to endure the vast ocean’s waves.

The Pentagon’s research arm is aiming to improve the long-range operational capabilities of the Marine Corps’ and Navy’s USVs by creating “Sea Trains” of four or more USVs. The vessels that make up the Sea Train can either be physically connected to each other or simply sail in coordinated formations. The goal is to develop a network of smart, unmanned warships capable of autonomously sailing through thousands of miles while performing their own duties.

The Pentagon envisions the development of a system of at least four vessels capable of sailing about 7,480 miles together before dispersing and conducting their own individual missions. The system of USVs should also be able to autonomously regroup once each individual vessel has completed its mission and sail another 7,480 mile journey.

The biggest challenge that faces the Sea Train is the choppy waves of the ocean. The Pentagon has emphasized that the vessels will need to be capable of withstanding the ocean’s larger waves.

Defenseone.com reports that the Sea Train program is anticipated to last 36 months and will envelop two phases. The first phase will involve designing, analyzing, simulating, and testing a scale model of the Sea Train. The second phase will mainly include additional testing. The amount of funding towards the program will depend on the quality of the Sea Train proposals and the availability of funds.