Navy Previews Remote-controlled Ships

[unhappycamper]

Navy Previews Remote-controlled Ships
September 19, 2008
Los Angeles Times

To the world it might be called a robot ship, but its proper name is the Unmanned Surface Vehicle. The Navy expects it to be a major tool in countering what officials think is a growing threat posed by quiet diesel-powered submarines owned by rogue nations.

In advance of the official unveiling today, reporters were allowed to see the boat Thursday at the Naval Base Point Loma before it took a trial run on San Diego Bay.

The goal is to greatly expand the Navy's ability to detect hostile sub s by sending the drone ships to use sonar and peer down into where subs might be hiding to ambush a Navy ship or merchant vessel. The robot ships will be controlled by sailors on larger ships.

The Navy wants to have 32 such boats, each packed with sophisticated electronic gear. The first of the boats, developed and stuffed with sonar-detection gear, cost $197 million. The rollout cost per decked-out boat is expected to drop to $46 million.

Each aluminum-hulled boat is 39 feet long, weighs 17,000 pounds and can carry up to 5,000 pounds of intelligence-gathering technology while traveling at up to 35 knots in rough waters.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/September-2008/navy-previews-remotecontrolled-ships.html?col=1186032311124



uhc comment: 'The rollout cost per decked-out boat is expected to drop to $46 million.' Yea, right. And pigs might fly out my butt.