Posted on 04/28/2025 4:32:19 AM PDT by Red Badger
The US has just unveiled a revolutionary warship with capabilities unlike anything seen before. Built for speed, power, and autonomy, this 44-ton vessel could change naval warfare forever.
US Unveils World’s First a 44-Ton, AI-Driven Warship — and It Can Hit 1,150 Miles Without Stopping - copyright Shutterstock
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The United States has unveiled the AIRCAT Bengal MC, a next-generation warship that is being called the most advanced autonomous naval vessel ever designed.
Developed by Eureka Naval Craft in partnership with Australian marine autonomy specialist Greenroom Robotics and naval architects from ESNA, the vessel marks a significant advancement in military maritime technology.
Measuring 36 meters long, the Surface Effect Ship (SES) combines speed, heavy payload capabilities, and autonomous navigation, offering a glimpse into the future of naval warfare.
Pushing the Boundaries of Speed and Payload Capacity According to Eureka Naval Craft, the AIRCAT Bengal MC stands out with its ability to carry a 44-ton payload, making it the first autonomous warship capable of transporting two full-size 40 ISO footprint modules.
Despite its size, the vessel can reach speeds of more than 50 knots, depending on the payload, and has a range of 1,000 nautical miles. Designed for maximum versatility, it can operate both crewed and autonomously, offering operational flexibility that traditional warships lack.
Its introduction is seen as a way to de-risk reliance on larger, costlier, crewed ships while maintaining superior firepower and maneuverability.
Armed for Modern Maritime Conflicts
Equipped with the ability to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles and Naval Strike Missiles (NSM), the AIRCAT Bengal MC brings significant offensive capabilities to the table. According to Bo Jardine, CEO of Eureka Naval Craft, the vessel aims to disrupt the traditional naval market in its weight class.
Jardine criticized existing vessels as “outdated, sluggish, and expensive,” positioning the AIRCAT Bengal MC as a fast, heavily armed alternative that enhances lethality while offering superior operational speed.
This combination of firepower and agility makes it an appealing option for modern navies looking to maintain a technological edge.
A Platform Built for Multiple Missions
Beyond its combat capabilities, the AIRCAT Bengal MC is designed to serve a wide range of mission profiles. It can function as a troop transport, a landing support craft, an electronic warfare platform, a drone mothership, and a vessel for mine laying and counter-mine warfare.
The ship’s modular design enables users to customize its features based on specific operational needs, offering a high degree of mission adaptability.
This flexibility is consistent with Eureka’s broader fleet strategy, which includes other vessels like the Bengal, Lynx, Jaguar, and Panther, each tailored to specialized roles such as reconnaissance, rescue, and high-speed transport.
Bengal MC infographic. Eureka Naval Craft
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Advanced Autonomy Powered by Greenroom Robotics
Central to the AIRCAT Bengal MC’s cutting-edge capabilities is its advanced autonomous navigation system developed by Greenroom Robotics. The system, called Greenroom Advanced Maritime Autonomy (GAMA), enhances human operators through all phases of the vessel’s operations.
GAMA’s effectiveness was proven during the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT), where it was validated on a 57-meter decommissioned Armidale-class patrol boat named Sentinel.
James Keane, CEO of Greenroom, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, noting the system’s potential to significantly elevate the vessel’s autonomous capabilities.
Designed for both military power and cost-efficiency, the AIRCAT Bengal MC is expected to appeal to the US Navy, US Marine Corps, AUKUS partners, NATO allies, and regional navies such as those in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Its combination of lethal capabilities, operational efficiency, and adaptability positions it as a formidable addition to the future naval landscape.
Why does it have guard rails if it’s autonomous?
People still have to work on it...................
You win the thread!
If a Leftest programed it wouldn’t it surrender the first chance it gets ? LOL
If that’s the case to argue, explain how the will get there and how they play into an overall war plan.
The only case I saw on this thread was where they become part of an amphib group carried in an amphibious assault ship to get marines and supplies quickly ashore. I can see that, but rogue operations in Chinese coastal waters, no way. They would last 5 minutes.
Marketing Lit at its finest.
“this 44-ton vessel could change naval warfare forever.”
Yeah, I think I’ve heard this one before.
Silly headline. 44 tons appears to be the vessel’s payload, not its displacement.
PHM,LCS,DDX,CGX.
If this was the case in the past, the gov. and media would report on the development of the B-29 and the A-bomb, plus Normandy plans, etc.
To save money the DOD bought the chips from the Chinese.
Like the drone Iran took over.
Inside a carrier is how they get there. And you know for a fact the strength of the Chinese PLA there during a conflict, and that those ships would not last 5 minutes, or are you just guessing?
I paced/raced a Gef along the old Hathaway Bridge on my big Yamaha MC when I saw it start out from the Navy base and turned along the bridge route. I was just coming to the bridge at that point and had read in the newspaper that they ere capable of 70 mph. There was no traffic except me so I cranked the throttle as the GEF picked up speed. The GEF was accelerating also and I matched it for a short period then it started pulling away. When I hit 100 mph it was still pulling away and I had to shut down as I as at other the end of the bridge and the Gef was turning hard right as it was running out of water .
They would be targets from both sea and shore. But you didnt answer my question. What mission do they fill as a brown water navy off chinese shores? They would be useful as marine transport, but what else?
The US has tried to employ brown water naval vessels several time. We had hydrofoil Pegasus class vessels. They were not trans ocean worthy and would only have served a purpose as US shore defense, but that assumes we would let an enemy get that close. The US strategy is to take the battle to them, interdict their navy before it gets here.
I see a few spec ops roles this might serve, but still not a whole lot.
I continue to think we are so far ahead of the ChiComs it’s pathetic.
We already have drone autonomous diesel subs that are anti-drone launchers. In a conflict, the ChiCom fleet would never get out of harbor.
Think Taranto.
Automating war is a bad idea.
War without the inherent risk to human participants reduces the moral and political limitations to its instigation.
Good points. I understand radiation, in the gamma ray and X-ray spectrums, because of what I do for a living, but in the electromagnetic spectrum as a whole with what is characterized as EMP...not so much.
From what I understand, it is the transmission over long distances that takes place outside the atmosphere that makes those types of airbursts at that distance so dangerous, because the gamma rays travel such a long way before interacting with the atmosphere and energizing the atmosphere, as opposed to a airburst in the atmosphere or near the ground.
I just know that they test platforms when they are designing and building them, but don’t know to what levels they harden them to.
Wow!
And published “top speeds” for military vessels are less than actuals, routinely, going back to probably the beginning of time.
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