(See) Die deutsche Marine

[Schneemann]

German Navy starts looking for Combat USV

After the German Navy has successfully tested the autonomous underwater vehicle BlueWhale last year and now wants to start procurement, the inlet of an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) is also to be prepared. As the inspector of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, recently told journalists, the Future Combat Surface System (FCSS) will be the flagship project of this year. [...]

“With the Future Combat Surface System (FCSS), the procurement of a system has been initiated that is designed to be swarm-capable and strike-capable. It is intended to complement the existing surface units in a networked manner” the paper says. Accordingly, the unmanned surface vessels will operate in conjunction with the K130 type corvettes. According to the overview, at least 18 of these new units are to be procured. Assuming a fleet of nine corvettes, each would be accompanied by two of these unmanned units.

The testing of the unmanned systems will be carried out by means of operational experimentation (OPEX), as stated in the strategy paper. This is understood to mean the testing of new technologies by the armed forces under realistic operational conditions – in anticipation of procurement. This should be followed by the unbureaucratic procurement of suitable technology. [...]

The goal of the OPEX campaign is to determine how:

- the USV can be deployed in an operational scenario over longer distances in order to work out the limits/possibilities of current products and assess the contribution to the overall situation,
- remote-controlled, possibly autonomous deployment (in various degrees of autonomy) is possible and deployment in the context of safe participation in maritime traffic is permitted,
- emergency systems function, supply/repair and, if necessary, recovery at sea is possible.
- the integration of situation picture contributions and taskings into maritime battle management systems (mBMS, e.g. tactical-operational situation picture/SitaWareHQ) is possible.
- the remote-controlled, possibly autonomous deployment – in various degrees of autonomy – of first effectors is possible. [...]

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/202...ombat-usv/

Schneemann