Image source: topwar.ru
In the waters off the coast of California, a combat unmanned surface vehicle overturned a tugboat during testing in the American Navy.
The incident occurred on June 23, at 15:28 in the harbor of the Channel Islands, but it became known only recently.
- the US Navy said in a statement.
The back belonged to the GARC (Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Crafts) type, was released by Black Sea Technologies and belonged to the 3rd squadron of unmanned surface ships (USVRON 3, Hellhounds), formed in May 2024 to test robotic platforms.
Image source: topwar.ru
After the incident, the command stopped testing, expressing gratitude to the services that promptly provided assistance to the captain of the auxiliary vessel, who refused medical assistance.
According to the USNI News, the incident occurred due to an operator error. The navy explained that the back was in tow when it was put into autonomous mode due to an accidental command that turned on its engine. The AI algorithms embedded in the unmanned boat perceived the tugboat as an obstacle, as a result of which the BACK accelerated, rounded and overturned the vessel (apparently due to the fact that it wrapped a cable around it).
Nothing is said about the fate of the BACK, but after the incident, all participants in the exercises were immediately evacuated for safety reasons. Prior to that, the unmanned squadron trained with one of the US Navy's carrier strike groups.
