Sea hunter, an unmanned warship designed to monitor the oceans for enemy subs and airborne dangers and mines, is unmanned. It's one large, autonomous drone ship that the US Navy is fast-tracking in order to help it combat a growing threat from Russia and China.
The 132-foot-long ship can withstand sea states up to Sea State 5, and waves up up to 6.5 feet. It can travel up to 1,500 nautical miles without a crew, and it's capable of conducting surface warfare operations as well.
It's an enormous leap forward in naval technologies that has the potential for the Navy to change its approach to maritime defense, as well the way its largest ship conduct missions. It marks a major milestone in the creation of the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV), the new autonomous underwater vehicles that could revolutionize Navy warfare.
DARPA's Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel Project (ASW ACTUV), says that the prototype was created as a "highly automated unmanned warship" and will serve to test "new mission-specific autonomous behavior and coordination among multiple UUVs. This is a key part of DARPA's mission to create "a new generation autonomous vessels that can replace human crew, improve safety, and reduce costs".
H I Sutton, an independent defense analyst, first reported on the existence of the USV in 2021. He used satellite imagery to locate its location from a Chinese shipyard. Sutton found several indications that the craft was being tested in a follow-up article that was published in 2021.
The UUV is designed to track and shadow diesel-electric enemy subs for months, ensuring that they stay away from vital areas. The UUV uses hydro-acoustics and pattern recognition to track and shadow boats for a long time.
The Navy's new ship can do more than just track subs. It can also search for mines, clear underwater obstacles and provide secure communications relays for the Navy's largest warships. This ship could also serve as a vanguard for larger unmanned fleets of warships. They will be able take advantage of Sea Hunter’s speed and range to better deal with threats.
The boat's design is strikingly a mix between a yacht-like workboat and a yacht. The boat provides the ultimate in luxury and comfort with its individual gear lockers, private storage bins for camera/strobes, dual rinse tanks and a drone landing pad.
It also comes with a lifetime structural guarantee so you can rest assured knowing that your boat has been a smart investment for many years.
This ship was christened in Portland in April 2016 as part of the Navy’s test-and development program for Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicles (or MDUSV). It is the first ship of a new type of ships that uses artificial intelligence to replace a human crew. The ship will be responsible for developing "Tactics, Techniques, & Procedures" in support of MUSV operations. Vigor Industrial is a marine services contractor that specializes on designing and building drones. This ship will also be the first to be based there.