UK’s Royal Navy Tests Drones on Land and at Sea

From BBC

The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy is testing drones for use as a combat technology. The navy said the ultimate aim is to "embed autonomous systems on the front line." An array of autonomous systems helped Royal Marines Commandos as they carried out training raids.

A swarm of heavy-duty Malloy TRV150 drones resupplied marines on training "raids" at missile and radar sites in Cumbria and Dorset by setting the location on an electronic tablet.

Another mission used several different drone technologies together. A swarm dropped Remus, an underwater drone, into the sea to scan the ocean for mines and obstructions. At the same time, the Maritime Demonstrator for Operational Experimentation (Madfox) self-driving boat scouted the surface and an Anduril Ghost drone, designed to be as quiet and difficult to detect as possible, provided a live feed of targets.

Another underwater drone, the Raydrive—an almost silent underwater drone disguised as a manta ray—was also tested (article is behind a login) for spying on enemy ships. 

In the air, the commandos also had the fixed-wing Cobra drone flying overhead.

The Cobra can be launched from unprepared ground or from a ship and is used for identifying and tracking targets. It can be carried in a backpack and has been engineered to function in harsh environments.

Finally, the commandos carried out simulator and range training with the Tactical Precision Strike system, which is considered a lethal loitering munition. The drone autonomously moves within the vicinity of a target, but a human must specify an attack. 

The information from sensors on all these autonomous vehicles was brought together in an experimental communications network. The data increases situational awareness and helps reduce the physical threats personnel face while on operations.

The Royal Navy is studying how man and machine can effectively work together. But using autonomous technology on the battlefield remains controversial. This is a very worrying development in the rush to develop autonomous weapons systems—weapons that once launched, select their own targets, and apply violent force," said Noel Sharkey, emeritus professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at University of Sheffield and co-director of the Responsible Robotics group.

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said, “Only by continued experimentation with the latest technology and innovation can we properly prepare our people for the challenges of the future.”

Col Chris Haw, who led the tests, said, "We must always remember that this technology is there to enhance commando excellence, not to replace it."

Sharkey said, "There has been a call to prohibit autonomous weapons systems that can select and attack their own targets at the UN by thousands of scientists and AI companies, the director general of the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and 31 nation states and 186 NGOs from around the world.”

He continued, "The UK has refused to support the ban, saying that they will never use such weapons. Yet it looks clearly like they are heading in that direction."

There might be a fight over use of these autonomous technologies long before they’re ever used in war.