US Navy makes a major breakthrough in autonomous weaponry

The U.S. Navy has achieved a major milestone in its efforts to autonomously combat one of the most persistent threats it faces, the service’s deputy head of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations’ mine warfare office said Monday.

The Navy successfully demonstrated what’s known as single-sortie mine hunting, which sends out an autonomous boat to sweep for mines with a sonar system, detect a mine-like object, classify it and then deploy another system that destroys the mine, according to Stephen Olson.

It’s a significant achievement in the yearslong effort to “get the man out of the minefield” by deploying robots to perform a job traditionally performed by manned minesweepers and highly trained divers. Beyond the safety benefits, it also quickens the process. The successful test opens up the possibility of having a small cadre of human operators who can oversee whole packs of robots as they sweep minefields on their own.

“That single-sortied, detect-to-engage was a great example of something that would represent supervisory [control of unmanned systems],” Olson said. “It was a small group [of people] who oversaw the entire effort: Multiple systems were in operation together, working together and cueing each other.”

When reached for comment on the successful test, the Navy would not divulge further details.