The large robotic ship, which is currently being designed in the interests of the US Navy, will receive a small living compartment for the technical team. This, according to Breaking Defense, said the head of the Department of autonomous systems of the US Navy, Captain Peter Small. According to him, the average robotic ship, which is also being created by order of the military, will not have such a compartment.
The US Navy ordered a preliminary design of a large robotic ship in September last year. Contracts for the work were awarded to Huntington Ingalls, Lockheed Martin, Bollinger Shipyards, Marinette Marine, Gibbs & Cox and Austal USA. Upon completion of the development, the military intends to determine possible technologies that can be used in the new ship, as well as determine its technical appearance.
The military is interested in developing robot ships with a length of 61 to 91 meters and a displacement of 900 to 1800 tons. Ships should be relatively inexpensive to build. The military also expects that the configuration of the ships can be changed relatively quickly depending on the task. In particular, we are talking about the rapid change of missile weapons. Other details have not yet been disclosed.
According to Small, the living compartment on the large robotic ship will be required for temporary accommodation of sailors who will be responsible for refueling the robot, carrying out repairs at sea and navigation within the coastal base, including mooring. The presence of a small crew on a large robocraft will be required, since it will make long sea crossings.
Earlier, the Defense Advanced Development Agency (DARPA) of the US Department of Defense launched a project to develop a NOMARS surface robot (No Manning Required, Ship — no personnel needed, ship). According to the project requirement, the robot should be created without any premises for people. The development will be carried out simultaneously in two directions: the ship's hull and on-board systems.
Vasily Sychev
