Unmanned Logistics to the Beach & Beyond

June 30, 2020
, 12:00 am
, Announcements

Unmanned Logistics to the Beach & Beyond

“The question is not will the Navy use unmanned maritime systems in military operations, but rather how many will the Navy operate.”

The use of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) is growing, as both of these are proving to be increasingly useful for a wide range of military applications. Logistics in support of amphibious assault is a new application now being demonstrated. Logistics have been central to warfare for many millennia and this plays out most prominently during an amphibious assault. Using manned naval craft for this sustainment mission puts operators at unnecessary risk of enemy fire, and in proximity to near-shore obstacles that were not cleared prior to the assault phase. Using scarce manned craft to perform this mission also takes them away from more important roles.

Using unmanned vehicles for the sustainment mission can be a game changer for expeditionary assault forces. Beyond taking operators out of harm’s way, using USVs in this role frees manned craft for other missions. In addition, having a continuous, pre-programmed logistics resupply process to perform one of the dull, dirty, and dangerous functions important in an amphibious assault means there is one less thing for commanders to have to manage during these operations.

In exercise Valiant Shield a concept was demonstrated with a 3.6m MANTAS USV achieved positive results. The Valiant Shield exercise provided the impetus and inspiration to continue to explore the use of USVs for amphibious force sustainment. There is an incentive to scale up from small USVs and continue to experiment with using larger USVs to provide greater sustainment quantities. The of the 11m (T38) and 15m (T50) MANTAS will provide an indication of the ability of USVs to provide a continuous stream of logistics support to forces on the beach. The T38 can carry a payload up to 2000kg, while the T50 can carry a payload of up to 4,500kg. The vessels travel at cruise speeds greater than 25 knots, providing the speed and carrying capacity to fulfil many important logistics functions.

MANTAS Unmanned Logistics to the Beach & Beyond