The first crewless Pacific 24 unmanned surface vessel (USV) for general duties with the Royal Navy has been launched, ready for trials to see how it – and similar craft – might fit into the ‘fleet of tomorrow’.

French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, visited the French Navy (Marine Nationale) naval base of Brest on May 29. She witnessed the future mine warfare system and presented the advances of the franco-british maritime mine countermeaseure (MMCM) programme.

The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare System (PEO IWS) has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) lethality and survivability upgrades and the Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LUSV) combat system.

The SWEEP minesweeper system - designed to defeat the threat of underwater sea mines and safely clear sea lanes – has recently proven its capabilities during two weeks of cold-weather sea trials.

Designed to meet the specific challenges of long range autonomous operations, the ‘Pentamaran’ design has been optimised by BMT to reduce fuel consumption and increase its adaptability across multiple applications

Elbit Systems Ltd. announced today the successful integration of the Towed Reelable Active Passive Sonar (TRAPS) for Unmanned Surface Vessels (TRAPS-USV) onboard the Company’s Seagull USV. The sea trials included multiple deployment and recovery cycles, towing at different speeds and transmission at various power levels.

Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) began producing hull elements of unmanned surface vessels. They are produced on orders of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, the USC said.

Groton-based ThayerMahan Inc., a world leader in autonomous maritime security solutions, announced today that it has teamed with iXblue, a global high-tech company specializing in navigation, acoustic positioning, and underwater imaging, to provide unmanned maritime and survey services using iXblue’s DriX Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) in North America as well as in other parts of the world.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded a procurement contract to Maritime Tactical Systems (MARTAC) of Melbourne, Florida, for the procurement of 5 MANTAS T12 unmanned surface vehicles (USV).