Armed Forces News

The Navy has showed that its concept of using several unmanned surface vessels in potential combat situations can work. During a Dec. 14 test at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va., the Office of Naval Research launched four CARACaS (Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command Sensing) vessels, programmed to operate together in scenarios that involved identifying, trailing or tracking targets of interest. The demonstration was the latest in a series for CARACaS. While other tests involved on missions such as protection of high-value ships, this latest effort focused on port security. “This technology allows unmanned Navy ships to overwhelm an adversary. Its sensors and software enable swarming capability, giving naval warfighters a decisive edge,” said Cmdr. Luis Molina, the military deputy for the Office of Naval Research’s Sea Warfare and Weapons Department.