UAV

DEPSECDEF Hicks: DoD Wants Thousands of Drones to Counter China’s Military Mass Advantage

A Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel (USV) operates with guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) in the Arabian Gulf during exercise Phantom Scope, Oct. 7, 2022. US Navy Photo

The Pentagon is betting that by fielding thousands of attritable autonomous systems across domains in fewer than two years, the United States can overcome China’s advantage of mass in manpower, ships, aircraft and missiles, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said in a Monday speech.

Speaking at...

https://news.usni.org/2023/08/28/depsecdef-hicks-dod-wants-thousands-of-drones-to-counter-chinas-military-mass-advantage

Defense Primer: U.S. Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

The following is the Nov. 14, 2022, Congressional Research Service report, Defense Primer: U.S. Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems.

From the report

Lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) are a special class of weapon systems that use sensor suites and computer algorithms to independently identify a target and employ an onboard weapon system to engage and destroy the target without manual human control of the system. Although these systems are not yet in widespread development, it is...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/17/defense-primer-u-s-policy-on-lethal-autonomous-weapon-systems

Report to Congress on Current, Future Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The following is the July 28, 2022, Congressional Research Service report, Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Current and Potential Programs.

From the report

Since the dawn of military aviation, the U.S. military has been interested in remotely piloted aircraft. Present-day unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) typically consist of an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) paired with a ground control station. UAS have become ubiquitous in U.S. military operations since the 1990s with the introduction of the MQ-1...

https://news.usni.org/2022/08/02/report-to-congress-on-current-future-unmanned-aircraft-systems

Chinese UAV Lingered Off Taiwan’s Coast Ahead of Island’s Annual Exercise

Chinese TB-001 UAV. Photo Courtesy of Japanese Ministry of Defense

A Chinese unmanned air vehicle flew through the Miyako Strait of Japan before lingering off Taiwan’s west coast on Monday.

The UAV approached the island as Taiwan began its annual Han Kuang military exercise, the nation’s largest military exercise that is geared towards countering an invasion of Taiwan.

A Chinese TB-001 UAV flew in from the East China Sea, passed through the Miyako Strait and then went by the Sakishima islands as...

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/26/chinese-uav-lingered-off-taiwans-coast-ahead-of-islands-annual-exercise

Report to Congress on the Future of Unmanned Aircraft

The following is the July 18, 2022 Congressional Research Service report, Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Roles, Missions, and Future Concepts.

From the report

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have gained increased prominence in U.S. military operations. The Department of Defense (DOD) is currently developing advanced UAS, along with optionally crewed aircraft, as part of its modernization strategy. The roles and missions of UAS are relevant to Congress in authorizing, appropriating, and providing...

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/19/report-to-congress-on-the-future-of-unmanned-aircraft

Navy Arming Surface Ships with Drone Repellent System

Gunner’s Mate Kyle Mendenhall shows the Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare (DRAKE) system aboard USS Kansas City (LCS-22) on Aug. 16, 2021. USNI News Photo

ABOARD THE LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP USS KANSAS CITY, OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA – With the use of drones becoming more prevalent, the Navy has found a way to ensure all of its surface ships can repel unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare system, or DRAKE, built by...

https://news.usni.org/2021/09/07/navy-arming-surface-ships-with-drone-repellent-system

Pentagon’s Counter Small Drone Strategy

The following is the U.S. Department of Defense Counter-sUAS Strategy that was released on Jan. 7, 2020.

From the report

The exponential growth of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) creates new risks for the Department of Defense (DoD). Technology trends are dramatically transforming legitimate applications of sUAS while simultaneously making them increasingly capable weapons in the hands of state actors, non-state actors, and criminals. Small UAS may also pose hazards to DoD operations in...

https://news.usni.org/2021/01/08/pentagons-counter-small-drone-strategy

VIDEO: Navy zaps drone with laser weapon

Drones present an increasing threat to naval operations. Last July we reported on the incident in the Strait of Hormuz in which the USS Boxer downed an Iranian drone. Subsequent reports revealed that the Boxer downed the drone using electronic jamming. The Navy may soon have another alternative to electronics or conventional gunfire with which to deal with unwanted aerial intruders — and armed small boats.

U.S. Pacific Fleet has released video of a May 16 test in which the amphibious transport...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/video-navy-zaps-drone-with-laser-weapon/

Report to Congress on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

The following is the Aug. 16, 2019 Congressional Research Service In Focus report International Discussions Concerning Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems.

From the report

As technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), advances, lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS)—weapons designed to make decisions about using lethal force without manual human control—may soon make their appearance, raising a number of potential ethical, diplomatic, legal, and strategic concerns for Congress. By...

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/20/report-to-congress-on-lethal-autonomous-weapon-systems

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