Page 69: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2023)

TECH FEATURE: AUTONOMY

MARTAC unmanned surface vehicles MANTAS and Devil

Ray were mainstays of this exercise. Here is how one defense analyst captured the essence of MARTAC’s participation in

IMX 22:

MARTAC has a strong presence in 5th Fleet operating with Task Force 59, a Middle-East-based task force work- ing on the development of unmanned systems…Typical missions for MARTAC include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, port and harbor security and sens- ing capabilities.

Soon after IMX 22, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) began Exercise Autonomous Warrior 2022 (AW 22). This

Royal Australian Navy-led event was designed to test and evaluate uncrewed, robotic and autonomous systems in Jervis the NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimenta-

Bay and in the nearby East Australian Exercise Area. Austra- tion, as well as partners in academia and industry, were stake- lia’s Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan, noted that holders in these exercises.

AW 22 was designed to help implement the Navy’s RAS-AI One of the important lessons learned during REPMUS 22 2040 strategy. was that drones have utility beyond intelligence, surveillance,

AW 22 participants included Australia, New Zealand, the and reconnaissance. They can be used to mislead opponents’

United Kingdom and the United States, and featured a total of scouting efforts, and swarms can stimulate defense systems, thirty autonomous systems. The unmanned surface vehicles revealing enemy dispositions. Royal Netherlands Navy drones that were part of this two-week exercise were the Saildrone, were part of exercise REPMUS 22, which evaluated and inte-

MANTAS, and Devil Ray featured in IMX 22, the Atlas Elek- grated NATO nations’ uncrewed systems and procedures.

tronik ARCIMS, the Elbit Systems Australia SEAGULL, and Soon after REPMUS 22, the U.S. Navy and partner navies the Ocius Bluebottle. One demonstration featured the 12-foot conducted exercise Digital Horizon 2022, a three-week event

MANTAS being carried by the 38-foot Devil Ray, something in the Middle East focused on employing arti? cial intelligence made possible due to their common HME systems. and 15 different unmanned systems (12 USVs and 3 UAVs),.

The biennial Rim of the Paci? c (RIMPAC) exercise pro- The exercise, meant to be a continuation of IMX 22 but at a vided the opportunity for international navies to assess the at- signi? cantly larger scale, was hosted by Task Force 59, and tributes of the four unmanned surface vehicles participating built on the work done during IMX 22. During Digital Ho- in this event. Here is how U.S. Navy Commander Jeremiah rizon, Task Force 59 leveraged arti? cial intelligence to create

Daley, commodore of the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Surface an interface on one screen, also called a “single pane of glass.”

Vessel Division One, described what was accomplished: The screen displayed relevant data from multiple unmanned systems for watchstanders in Task Force 59’s Robotics Op-

An exercise like RIMPAC can further test safety and nav- erations Center. One of the features of Digital Horizon 2022, igation capabilities of a USV, assess the strain on me- and in line with the ? rst word of the exercise, “Digital,” was chanical and electrical systems during combat-relevant the ability of a single operator to command and control ? ve operations, and identify the right payloads—including an unique drones. It is dif? cult to overstate the true revolution electronic warfare suite and a towed sonar array, in this in military affairs that the use of USVs will mean in terms of case. This all helps the service ? gure out how USVs can war? ghting possibilities going forward, especially in holding contribute to the ? ght. naval forces at risk to low cost, highly effective, armed USVs.

Use of these weapons as a new way of war? ghting is a revolu-

On the other side of the world, NATO exercises REPMUS tion in military affairs that is gaining traction among world 22, and the follow-on Dynamic Messenger 22, provided an navies. More international naval exercises, most featuring opportunity for NATO nations to evaluate unmanned systems unmanned surface vehicles—both commercial-off-the-shelf and their ability to coordinate on, above and under the sea. (COTS) unmanned maritime systems, as well as other USVs

These exercises focused on the integration of 120 autonomous in various stages of development—are planned in the years assets into a single network. Several organizations: from NA- ahead. These exercises and initiatives are important if navies

TO’s Allied Command Transformation, to NATO’s Allied are to convince their political establishments to invest in these

Maritime Command, to the NATO Center of Excellence, to highly capable systems. www.marinelink.com 69

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