Warships to be remotely controlled
NAVY ships could be controlled remotely using augmented reality headsets and artificial intelligence being developed by a UK defence company, paving the way for semi-autonomous naval vessels with much smaller crews.
Transferring on-board naval command rooms to land would reduce the risk to sailors and improve safety during combat, says BAE Systems.
Frank Cotton, the British defence company’s chief technology officer for naval systems, said: “The concept of the future Royal Navy control room is that it will not actually be on board. We think this will work because we know you can have pilots in a Texas desert controlling drones over Afghanistan. Why not have the officers somewhere safe instead of on board?”
The concept could take time as it runs against naval traditions dictating that a ship’s captain needs to be aboard. “I think the Navy would be very suspicious of the idea at first,” he said.
Mr Cotton said advances in technology could have an enormous impact on naval warfare. The AI he and his team are developing could spot incoming threats and instantly prioritise them, so captains and commanders would know which enemy vessels to take out first.
BAE Systems is investing £20 million into the AR and AI technologies and plans to test the augmented reality glasses on Navy frigates, meaning it could be in use by the end of next year.
The glasses will allow an officer of the watch to work outside the operations room yet still be able to view tactical and other data. It will also mean officers can see through fog and mist to spot ships and planes that have already been detected on the ship radar.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence is to extend the service of a number of Royal Navy ships to protect fishermen who are becoming embroiled in confrontations over fishing rights.
Three Royal Navy Fishery Protection ships will be kept in service potentially until 2027, although no new funding has been identified, the ministry announced.
It said three Offshore Patrol Vessels are to be retained for at least the next two years to bolster the UK’S ability to protect its fishing fleet, as well as the country’s shorelines.
The Royal Navy presently provides around 200 days of fishery protection annually but the extension means that it will have the capacity to deliver virtually round-the-clock fishery protection if required.
Earlier this year 35 French boats confronted five British craft off the coast of northern France, with reports of rocks and smoke bombs being hurled at UK mariners. Tensions also flared in September when Cornish fishermen accused French trawlers of sabotaging their crab pots, costing them hundreds of thousands of pounds. Last month, HMS Tyne monitored a Russian frigate as it passed through the English Channel.
Speaking on board the patrol vessel HMS Tyne, Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, said: “Britain’s patrol vessels are essential to protecting our waters, our fisheries and our national security.
“Safeguarding the future of these three ships in the Royal Navy will ensure we can respond quickly to incidents at any time, further protecting our waters as we exit the EU.”