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Navy expedites drone ships as it faces threat from China
https://www.newscentermaine.com/ ^ | July 29, 2022 | Author: DAVID SHARP Associated Press

Posted on 07/29/2022 11:24:08 AM PDT by RomanSoldier19

Facing a growing threat from China, the Navy envisions drone ships keeping an electronic eye on enemy forces across the vast Pacific Ocean, extending the reach of firepower, and keeping sailors out of harm's way.

The Navy is speeding development of those robotic ships as an affordable way to keep pace with China's growing fleet while vowing not to repeat costly shipbuilding blunders from recent years.

The four largest drone ships are being used together this summer during a multination naval exercise in the Pacific Ocean.

Other smaller waterborne drones are already being deployed by the Navy’s 5th Fleet in the waters off the Middle East.

The goal in coming years is to see how these research vessels’ radar and sensors can be combined with artificial intelligence, and integrated with traditional cruisers, destroyers, submarine and aircraft carriers, to create a networked fleet that’s resilient because it’s spread over greater distances and more difficult for enemies to destroy, the Navy says.

“It’s about moving the technology forward, and having confidence in the capability. Everything takes time,” said Cmdr. Jeremiah Daley, commanding officer of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One in California.

(Excerpt) Read more at newscentermaine.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ai; robots; usnavy
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1 posted on 07/29/2022 11:24:08 AM PDT by RomanSoldier19
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To: RomanSoldier19

Why not hook up the littoral class ships for remote control and use them?


2 posted on 07/29/2022 11:35:59 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: RomanSoldier19
Facing a growing threat from China, the Navy envisions drone ships keeping an electronic eye on enemy forces across the vast Pacific Ocean, extending the reach of firepower, and keeping sailors out of harm's way.

And to keep the ships safe from woke sailors crashing them into things

3 posted on 07/29/2022 11:40:12 AM PDT by Pollard (If there's a question mark in the headline, the answer should always be No.)
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To: BenLurkin

Well the hulls Crack. Dang it.


4 posted on 07/29/2022 11:41:28 AM PDT by DariusBane (Liberty and Risk. Flip sides of the same coin. So how much risk will YOU accept? Vive Deo et Vives)
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To: BenLurkin

The reason for dumping the littoral class is the dual engine transfer gear system simply does not work. They would need to go everywhere with tugboats.


5 posted on 07/29/2022 11:58:15 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (Wait! I said that out loud? )
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To: RomanSoldier19

First they’ll be used for surveillance, then they’ll be outfitted with torpedoes, depth charges, and white flags...


6 posted on 07/29/2022 12:10:00 PM PDT by SuperLuminal
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To: RomanSoldier19

The growing threat is from our side provoking war. Here comes the prewar marketing sales pitch.


7 posted on 07/29/2022 12:22:14 PM PDT by MarMema (No bugs for consumption)
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To: BenLurkin

“Why not hook up the littoral class ships for remote control and use them?”

That’s actually not a bad idea. It beats the hell out of just scrapping them and turning them into razor blades.


8 posted on 07/29/2022 12:39:03 PM PDT by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: ought-six

My original — more serious — suggestion was to give them to the Philippine Navy, but many FReepers told me they are mechanically defective and require more maintenance than they are worth.

But seems to me that a navy could find a way to cannibalize the working parts and put them into one or two serviceable ships.


9 posted on 07/29/2022 12:44:18 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: MarMema

“The growing threat is from our side provoking war. Here comes the prewar marketing sales pitch.”

We aren’t provoking @#$%. If anything, China has been the source of any provocation; it’s been openly threatening its neighbors for years.

In any event, it is pretty much inevitable that the two biggest kids on the block — especially if they have little in common — are eventually going to fight. It has been that way for many thousands of years.

It is wise to prepare for it. If it does not come to pass...GREAT! But if it does, it’s best to be ready. Look at the Cold War: The US and the USSR prepared to fight each other (which made sense). Yet, they never actually came to direct blows. So, mutual preparation worked, and avoided war.


10 posted on 07/29/2022 12:45:59 PM PDT by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: BenLurkin

“My original — more serious — suggestion was to give them to the Philippine Navy...”

I think a better option would be to give them to the Vietnamese Navy. But, either way, it’s better than scrapping them.


11 posted on 07/29/2022 12:48:33 PM PDT by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: BenLurkin

They would require being re-engined totally, like with reliable marine diesels - yielding a slow ship (20 knots?). At that point they are just hulls, that werent designed for such parameters, requiring expensive upgrades just to function.

If they were given to anyone, moreover, they wouldnt come with useful armaments and sensor systems, because they werent really in service with such in the USN. Some surplus Coast Guard cutters would be more useful.


12 posted on 07/29/2022 12:57:00 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: ought-six

No. It is all us.

Remember Biden told us that a new world order is coming and the US must emerge on top?
So they are miring Russia in war with Ukraine before getting a war with China begun.

https://therealnews.com/nato-sets-its-crosshairs-on-china-nuclear-war-be-damned

The last gasps of our dying empire. Up next is China.
They have already built a large international empire.

Even Hillary used to talk about war with China.


13 posted on 07/29/2022 2:17:01 PM PDT by MarMema (No bugs for consumption)
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To: MarMema

Do you propose we surrender?


14 posted on 07/29/2022 2:23:50 PM PDT by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: Gen.Blather

“They would need to go everywhere with tugboats.”

That isn’t true. The Freedom class can run on one propulsion system or the other but not both, until refitted.


15 posted on 07/29/2022 2:30:34 PM PDT by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc O'Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
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To: ought-six
"It beats the hell out of just scrapping them and turning them into razor blades."

I wish. The hulls were made out of aluminum. Aluminum and salt water don't like each other. If you put aluminum in salt water, in a couple of years the aluminum will have microscopic holes in it. And the holes turn into cracks. Supposedly, the aluminum was to be covered in some type of epoxy to protect it. Well, that did not turn out so well.

16 posted on 07/29/2022 2:38:05 PM PDT by fini
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To: steve86

“The Freedom class can run on one propulsion system or the other but not both, until refitted.”

Back when my project was on one of them, they were getting towed a lot. I found a couple of articles on the combining gear problem and notes that several of the ships had to be towed back to port but nothing saying they could run on either propulsion system. If that was the case, why did they have so many tows back to ports? (Just curious. Not trying to argue with you.)

If you’re interested, here’s a few interesting bits on the designs. Many problems. Certainly not worth turning them into drone ships as the other poster had proposed.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=LCS+subbrief


17 posted on 07/29/2022 3:08:55 PM PDT by Gen.Blather (Wait! I said that out loud? )
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To: RomanSoldier19

How do you prevent your drone ships from being boarded by your opponent’s coast guard and having all their technology stolen. How do you protest the event if there are no eye-ball witnesses?


18 posted on 07/29/2022 3:12:49 PM PDT by Tallguy
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To: Tallguy
How do you prevent your drone ships from being boarded by your opponent’s coast guard and having all their technology stolen.

Hopefully the drone ships will be equipped with a self-destruct feature. If boarded, and the boarders fail to enable a password to defeat the self-destruct, bye-bye Chinese and their ships alongside.

19 posted on 07/29/2022 3:18:51 PM PDT by roadcat
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To: roadcat

So we’re going (relatively cheap) drone ships and let Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese fisherman blow themselves up? Not that I necessarily care about a dumb-ass fisherman bent on pillaging, but the exchange of a ship — even an automated one — for a peasant doesn’t seem to be an even exchange for us. I actually figure the PLAN will just shred them when they see them. Then what?


20 posted on 07/29/2022 3:24:33 PM PDT by Tallguy
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