Unmanned Naval Systems Headlines

Northrop's Triton Takes to the Skies

22 May 2013 - The U.S. Navy's MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) completed its first flight from Palmdale, California today, marking the start of tests which will validate the Northrop Grumman-built system for future fleet operations. More with video.

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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.

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.

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.