The destruction of the ship by a swarm of drones took place last month during Exercise Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem (UxS IBP) 21 off the coast of California. Pictured is one of the drones involved in the operation.
The U.S. Navy used a swarm of drones to destroy a surface ship for the first time during a recent exercise. U.S. media reported that the Navy’s move was a signal to the Chinese Communist Party.
The destruction of the ship by a swarm of drones took place last month during the Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem 21 (UxS IBP21) exercise off the coast of California. The target destroyed by the drone swarm was identified by an unmanned vessel and targeted by the same enemy ship against which the guided missile destroyer USS John Finn fired its SM-6 anti-ship missile.
Rear Adm. Jim Aiken, the exercise’s technical manager, said in a news release, “The goal of this exercise is to evaluate these unmanned systems and how they actually work with manned systems.”
Navy officials were tight-lipped about details of how the unmanned aircraft fleet was involved in the exercise. It was previously reported that the exercise would include an element of the Navy’s Super Swarm project. The study explores how “swarms,” which include unmanned aircraft, unmanned submarines and unmanned surface ships, can coordinate attacks on enemy fleets for maximum effect, as well as related defense issues. Navy researchers declined to discuss the work.
Forbes News reported April 30 that the goal of the exercise is clear: to send a signal to the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese Communist Party is developing what it calls “anti-access/area denial defenses” – layered missile and radar systems to deny U.S. aircraft and warships access to the South China Sea. South China Sea. Recent exercises, particularly the “swarm” attack, suggest that the United States is preparing a response. Unmanned systems allow military action to be taken without risking the lives of soldiers or the risk of escalating casualties. Unlike missiles, “swarm” attacks are scalable and can be escalated to any level of conflict.
The size, type or number of drone swarms participating in the exercise are unknown, the report said. But much of the Navy’s previous work has involved Raytheon’s Coyote UAS, a 13-pound tube drone with five-foot ejector wings that now comes standard with swarming capabilities. The Coyote can carry a variety of payloads, including electronic warfare devices or explodable warheads. The Navy’s LOCUST program (Low Cost UAS Swarm Technology) has previously demonstrated swarms of up to 50 Coyote drones to coordinate their attacks.
The swarm of drones destroying the ship was conducted last month during the Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem 21 (UxS IBP21) exercise off the California coast. Pictured is one of the drones involved in the operation.
This tactic is designed to overwhelm an adversary’s defenses by inflicting more attacks than it can handle. Low cost is a key feature, and LOCUST’s idea is that the entire “swarm” will cost less than a conventional missile. Smaller warheads could shoot down radars and other critical weapons systems, leaving the larger targets to the larger weapons. The tactical concept is that by delivering multiple precision strikes on vulnerable points, such “swarms” may also inflict more serious damage on the adversary.
The “swarm” has another advantage over conventional missiles: 50 drones can attack 50 small targets, such as fast attack boats or unmanned surface ships.
The Navy has not disclosed how the swarms of drones would be launched, and LOCUST was originally designed to be launched from surface ships, but the Navy is also developing swarms of submarine-launched drones.
Aircraft may also launch swarms of drones. in 2020, the navy revealed that super-swarm testing included launching a record-breaking 1,000 CICADA mini-drones from C-130 transport aircraft. cicada stands for close range covert autonomous disposable aircraft and is a miniature glider with a six-inch wingspan that can carry electronic warfare payloads or transmit ground sensors to specific locations. CICADA has been involved in various Navy experimental programs over the past 15 years.
A swarm of unmanned aircraft can also perform harassment missions, jamming targets by jamming radio systems and navigation, or it can strike an adversary by knocking down radio masts or other infrastructure, or launch heavy strikes against opposing ships, as shown in the exercise above. Whatever the form, such “swarm” weapons will be useful when other weapons are difficult to execute.
On the other hand, the Chinese Communist military also uses swarms of drones.
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