Autonomous Swarm {Video} US Navy Drone Boats

Published on Oct 4, 2014


The autonomous Swarm demonstration, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), highlights a first-of-its-kind technology that gives Naval warfighters a decisive edge through enabling unmanned Navy vessels to overwhelm an adversary.

The demonstration took place on the James River in Virginia during the first two weeks of August, 2014.

these little bad boys are leaps and bounds beyond the Air Forces Predator or Reaper UAV... these guys are fully Autonomous... needing only the most basic of commands then they go off to do their own preprogramed attack runs...Swarms

Much of the discussion and fear of armed unmanned vehicles ignores a central fact. Aerial drones like the Predator or Reaper are operated by two-man human teams, a pilot to steer the drone, and a sensor operator to control the various mechanical eyes and ears. The boats that participated in the event on the James River were able to sense one another as well as other vessels, and execute complicated “swarm” maneuvers, with a bare minimum of guidance. These boats are not your average drones.

Office of Naval Research, pointed out that a maneuver that required 40 people had just dropped down to just one.

Speaking of payloads.

Between them, they carry a variety of payloads, loud speakers and flashing lights, a .50-caliber machine gun, and a microwave direct energy weapon or heat ray.

More details to be found at the Atlantic

So there you have it... the future of naval warfare...Autonomous Swarms of drone boats...Day-am man that's scary!

Yep, the Navy has all the coolest technology!

Below the water, and above the skies

Yeah and a team of good hackers can turn that future of naval warfare into our future worst nightmare.

The next step is autonomous submarine weapons. I hope I'm not the first one to think of that.

Will they jump out of the water to interdict hypersonic sea skimming missiles?

Will they have the range and speed to also interdict larger vessels that are "getting to close"? Which they would never do.

How about subs, rocket torpedoes or smart mines?

Well, I guess they could find minefields.

a reply to: intrptr

think smaller... tactically these are more suited for small bodies of water... still

I can see where like a dozen of these could be carried on by a big Aircraft Carrier and used to provide security for the bigger slower ship.

Or more likely they could also be used to provide blockades on inlets and rivers... used in places where you'd want to stop all water traffic without putting live bodies at risk...

originally posted by: skunkape23
The next step is autonomous submarine weapons. I hope I'm not the first one to think of that.

I believe that they already have them.

UUVs have taken on a number of roles in the navies around the world, including hydrographic reconaissance, mine countermeasures, and oceanographic survey. The U.S. Navy generally classifies UUVs in four categories according to weight and diameter: Man-portable: 3-9 inch diameter, less than 100 pounds,

Just another step forward toward complete mechanical control of citizens by the evil power brokers. I am not looking forward to the day that robot swarms are patrolling our streets. Can you imagine the day that you get a knock on your door from a robot saying "papers please"?

Wolves and Sheeple

SF cool video, I had found another video of him giving an interview if you are interested talks about the swarm boats, rail guns, and LaWS.

While Russia and China are going supersonic missiles it seems we are going scifi or as they call it "secret sauce".

“We had 13 of these unmanned vessels all working together,” Klunder said. “We had a human being that said designate that target, and I want you 13 craft to go and circle that target, and they did just that.”

When equipped with automatic weapons systems, the boats could potentially have the firepower to take on an aggressor, though that remains to be tested in the future. And most importantly, any decision to use a lethal or non-lethal weapons system will be made by humans.

As Klunder points out, what makes the boats more remarkable is their power save lives.

Had these boats been around 14 years ago, Klunder believes the bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors and injured 39 others, could have been prevented. “We would have indeed saved that vessel,” Klunder said.

Another new sci-fi inspired weapon system developed by Klunder’s team is a ship-based laser currently undergoing field testing in the Persian Gulf. The Laser Weapons System or LaWS is designed to provide Navy ships with long-distance protection from ships and aircraft.

To demonstrate the laser’s power, Klunder held up a metal slab that looks as if a hole has been drilled through the middle. “To take that one pulse of energy through this metal slab here [costs] less than a dollar,” he said.

news.yahoo.com...

originally posted by: skunkape23
The next step is autonomous submarine weapons. I hope I'm not the first one to think of that.

Yup, after that autonomous land units which makes no where safe for us to hide. Not even subs.