Unmanned Naval Systems Headlines

Kraken Completes Successful Sonar Trials with REMUS AUV

ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND – 17 May 2013 – Kraken Sonar Systems Inc. announced today that a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, Rhode Island was a complete success.

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IMCMEX 13 - New Drones, New Tactics

16 May 2013 - Unmanned naval systems played a significant role during last year's International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) and this year's exercise features even more vehicles and demonstrations of new tactical concepts.

First X-47B Cat Shot

14 May 2013 - The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator (UCAS-D) completed its first ever carrier-based catapult launch from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia, May 14. (U.S. Navy video)

First X-47B Tailhook Landing

4 May 2013 - The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator completes its first shore-based arrested landing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

India Looks to UAVs to Prevent Future Terrorism

28 April 2013 - India's growing maritime unmanned aerial vehicle fleet is being put through its paces to prepare for another Mumbai-style complex terrorist attack.

Fiscal Reality Hits the Navy's UAV Fleet

14 April 2013 - Despite a growing demand for unmanned systems, several Navy programs are facing the budget axe.

Production of Northrop's Triton UAV has been delayed a year. What programs are next for cuts?

DARPA Broad Agency Announcement Details TERN Requirements

21 March 2013 - DARPA has detailed requirements for its proposed Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node Unmanned Aerial System.

Evaluating China's Anti-Ship Drone Swarms

21 March 2013 - How can the PLA's growing UAV fleet be countered at sea?

SAIC Awards OpenClovis ACTUV Contract

20 March 2013 - OpenClovis Solutions, Inc., has signed a contract with SAIC to support the development of DARPA's Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) project with the SAFPlus platform.

Northrop Awarded Fire Scout Contract Add-On

13 March 2013 - The Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a $71 million contract to procure six additional MQ-8C Fire-X variants, for a total of 30 aircraft.

A Relay Race: Communication Relay Drones

12 February 2013 - Navy unmanned air vehicles could be configured to support better communication at sea.

Tactical Employment of Drone Motherships

11 February 2013 - How the U.S. Navy's experimentation with various combinations of platforms and drones is transforming mine warfare.

Navy to Establish Dedicated Triton Squadron

7 February 2013 - The U.S. Navy announced that it will stand up Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19) at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida on 1 October 2013.

Triton Fuselage Mated to Wings

31 January 2013 - Northrop Grumman employees mate the fuselage with the wings of a company-owned Triton test bed unmanned aircraft in Palmdale, Calif. Based on the U.S. Navy's MQ-4C Triton, the system provides a detailed picture of surface vessels to identify threats across vast areas of ocean and coastal areas.

LCS Program Office for Unmanned Systems Update

1 February 2013 - Video: LCS Program Office CAPT Ashton discusses Unmanned Mine Countermeasures Systems.

Dirty Jobs: Drone Edition

30 January 2013 - Can a tiny robot save the Navy hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fuel consumption?

Bluefin to Deliver Knifefish for NRL

24 January 2013—Bluefin Robotics announced that they will produce a variation of the Knifefish UUV for the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).

Puma Goes to Sea (Again)

19 January 2013 - The Commanding Officer of USS Benfold describes the value the Puma small tactical UAV brings surface combatants in Proceedings Magazine.

Unmanned ISR and Future Air Wing Composition

18 January 2013 - Naval aviation is approaching a critical decision regarding unmanned aircraft.

Investing in Unmanned Naval Systems

10 January 2013 - How did the stocks producing unmanned naval systems perform last year?

Telephonics Awarded Fire Scout Radar Contract

9 January 2013 - Telephonics Corporation was awarded a $33 million contract by Northrop Grumman to build and test nine multi-mode maritime surveillance radars for the Fire Scout unmanned air vehicle.

Naval Drones 2012 Year in Review

30 December 2012 - This year's top stories for unmanned naval systems.

Unmanned Systems for EM-Cyber Warfare

27 December 2012 - Drones add agility and quantity to this critically important domain.

SAIC Reveals New Details on ASW Drone

21 December 2012- Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has released an updated promotional video revealing new details about the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV). More here.

Drones of the Navy SEALs

16 December 2012 - An analysis of how the Naval Special Warfare Command has successfully integrated unmanned systems into its operations the past decade.

Navy Experiments with Puma UAV on Ships

6 December 2012 – In November, Sailors from Riverine Squadron Three flew the Puma All Environment (AE) small tactical UAV for the first time operationally off Navy ships in the Persian Gulf.

USS Klakring Breaks Records with Fire Scouts

5 December 2012 - USS Klakring (FFG-42) returned to Mayport, Florida from a record setting deployment on December 1 with four embarked Fire Scouts.

Sea-Based Drones & the Future of Counterterrorism

2 December 2012 - Can carrier-based drones take over strikes against militants in Pakistan?

X-47B First Catapult Launch

29 November 2012 - The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) Air Vehicle (AV-1) demonstrator successfully completed its inaugural land-based catapult launch at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

According to Northrop, the aircraft reached an airspeed of 151 knots during its 10 minute flight.

Navy Looks to Small Business to Solve RMS Problems‏

26 November 2012 - Can Navy request for proposals from small business fix the ailing Remote Minehunting System?

SeeByte Solutions for Expeditionary MCM Forces to Exhibit at EXPONAVAL

12 November 2012 - SeeByte will feature its smart software for unmanned maritime systems at the upcoming EXPONAVAL 2012.

Poland's Naval Unmanned Systems Developments

10 November 2012 - Poland's Navy has the opportunity to make a big leap with auotonomous unmanned surface vessels.

The Next Wave - Swarming Underwater Drones

8 November 2012 - Quadrotor swarm experiments have produced some interesting results, including potential for future military applications. Now some researchers in Germany are working to transition these concepts to the underwater realm.

U.S. CNO Makes Unmanned Systems a Priority

4 November 2012 - Admiral Greenert's "Navigation Plan" sets an aggressive vision for naval drones in America's fleet.

Armed USVs: A Deeper Dive

30 October 2012 - In depth analysis on the the U.S. Navy's recent testing of Rafael's Protector Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

Older Headlines

Worth reading... naval drone articles from the blogosphere and beyond

The Center for International Maritime Security discusses the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) contract.
Information Dissemination post on the use of UAS by maritime eco-activists groups.
LTJG Matt Hipple suggests ways to build resilency into future swarms of drones in Small Wars Journal.