Royal Navy’s new robot boat takes to the seas
A ROBOT boat that can travel 10 miles autonomously has been launched from a Royal Navy warship for the first time.
HMS Argyll, a Type 23 frigate, successfully managed to control an uncrewed Pacific 24 rigid inflatable boat while sailing at sea in Plymouth.
The boat’s onboard cameras and sensors gave constant feeds to Argyll, with a temporary operating centre set up in the ship’s hangar.
In another first, the RIB’S control system was also integrated into the ship’s Ops Room meaning it could be controlled and commanded from the depths of the frigate.
The Navy said the RIB was operated from up to 10 miles away and that the ship was able to successfully send instructions to the boat for it to carry out autonomously, such as conducting basic missions, identifying targets on the water and cueing its camera and remote weapon station to tracked targets when operated by the trials team.
A Navy source said that enabling a RIB to operate autonomously showed that it could “be useful for situations where risk of life” is a potential.
They said one scenario that the RIB could be applied for would be where a fire onboard a ship required suppressive water, but it would be risky to send people close to the fire to contain it.
“Risking human life reduces significantly,” the source said.
In another first, a Navy air defence destroyer’s helicopter has fired a new missile aimed at protecting the UK’S aircraft carriers from swarm attacks by small boats. Portsmouth-based HMS Defender’s Wildcat helicopter fired the Martlet lightweight missile during operations in the Pacific Ocean.