Royal Navy Tests Drone Speedboat on the Thames

(Image courtesy of UK Royal Navy.)

The UK’s Royal Navy has just made a public show of its latest unmanned surface vessel (USV), speeding the vehicle through the tidal Thames.

Named the Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST), the Royal Navy’s drone is being developed by Portchester’s ASV Ltd with funding from the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). The 32ft long MAST is based on the Bladerunner hull that’s part catamaran, part hydrofoil. At its heart, the Blade Runner hull is designed to make a vessel as stable as possible while planing across a waterway at high speed.

Beyond its high-speed hull, MAST also utilizes collision avoidance algorithms to navigate crowded waterways in accordance with international maritime regulations.

According to the Royal Navy, the recent MAST test is part of a larger operation named Unmanned Warrior 2016 that will take place off the coasts of West Wales, North West Scotland and the Western Isles this autumn. The Royal Navy has stated that during this exercise, 40 unmanned vehicles will be put through their paces to demonstrate how well they can conduct themselves in “crisis and conflict situations, that could be realistically encountered in operations - disputed territory, terrorist activity, piracy and more.”

(Image courtesy of UK Royal Navy.)

“The growing scale of Unmanned Warrior is a clear demonstration of the Royal Navy’s ambition to lead and win through technological innovation,” said Admiral Sir Philip Jones. “Unmanned maritime systems will change how we operate, but they’re just the start. Our pursuit of new technologies and ideas – from big data to 3D-printing – will ensure we remain one of the most capable and successful navies in the world.”

Furthering the Admiral’s claims, Fleet Robotics Officer Commander Peter Pipkin added: “This is a chance to take a great leap forward in Maritime Systems – not to take people out of the loop but to enhance everything they do, to extend our reach, our look, our timescales, our efficiency using intelligent and manageable robotics at sea.”

(Image courtesy of UK Royal Navy.)

As of yet, a timeline for any large scale rollout of the MAST systems hasn’t been announced. However, given how fast drone technology is advancing, it might not be long before navies across the globe begin patrolling their shores with unmanned craft, and possibly protecting their larger ships and commercial vessels with craft similar to MAST.

For a very different sort of unmanned nautical system, check out this Johns Hopkins drone that launches from underwater.