WASHINGTON – U.S. Navy leaders not only are fast-tracking a new fleet of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) but also are arming them with new weapons, sensors, and cutting-edge radar systems to align with their emerging Distributed Maritime Operations strategy -- an evolving concept aimed at networking a growing fleet of manned and unmanned systems operating with ever-increasing levels of autonomy. Kris Osborn at The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
5 Jan. 2021 -- The exploration of unmanned systems weapons and technology integration aligns with the Navy’s current push to expand the integration of a new family of highly sensitive and much longer-range SPY-6 radar applications across a wider sphere of platforms, to include the new Frigate (FFG/X), amphibs, and even the Littoral Combat Ship.
SPY-6 radars operate with as much as 35 times the detection capability of most existing radar systems, bringing ship commanders and ability to detect objects twice as small and twice as far away as current systems.
Raytheon engineers explain that the SPY-6 radars were built to upgrade as technology matures and also scale easily and reconfigure to integrate onto new platforms such as unmanned ships.
Related: Pentagon gets serious about unmanned surface vessels
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
