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Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs)

Latest in Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs)

Defiant Drone Ship Gets Closer To Months-Long DARPA At Sea Demonstration
Sea

Defiant Drone Ship Gets Closer To Months-Long DARPA At Sea Demonstration

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Apr 11, 2025

Taiwan has revealed a new drone boat, or uncrewed surface vessel (USV), the Endeavor Manta, said to be the first of its kind for the Republic of China Navy (ROCN).
Sea

Taiwan’s Endeavor Manta Drone Boat Breaks Cover

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Mar 25, 2025

Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) used drone boats to launch FPV drones against Russian radar systems in Crimea.
News & Features

Ukraine Launches FPV Drone Attack On Russia’s Air Defenses In Crimea

By Howard Altman

Posted on Mar 19, 2025

A slender, partially covered naval ship that recently emerged in Washington state is the Defiant, a new medium-sized uncrewed surface vessel (USV) designed from the keel up to operate without any humans ever onboard.
Sea

Mysterious Naval Vessel Spotted In Washington State Is A New DARPA Drone Ship

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Mar 4, 2025

In the coming weeks, drone boats will be plying the waters of the Baltic Sea helping to detect and deter undersea cable sabotage as part of Baltic Sentry.
News & Features

Drone Boats Being Rushed To Help Prevent Baltic Seafloor Cable Sabotage

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jan 17, 2025

After spending years charting a way forward to a family of unmanned surface vessels in a specific array of sizes and configurations, the Navy is eyeing a major course alteration that would see it pursuing a simpler and more interchangeable design.
Air

Navy To Simplify Drone Ship Plans, Focus On Containerized Payloads That Look Alike

By Hope Hodge Seck

Posted on Jan 17, 2025

Ukraine has claimed that it’s successfully used uncrewed surface vessels (USV), better known as drone boats, to launch aerial drones against Russian targets for the first time. According to Ukrainian authorities, the first-person view (FPV) drones were employed in combat during strikes on Russian ground-based air defense systems. This is the latest development in Ukraine’s Black Sea drone war, which is seeing increasingly innovative use of uncrewed systems, including adapted air-to-air missiles launched from USVs against Russian aircraft.
News & Features

Ukraine Claims Its Drone Boats Are Now Launching Kamikaze FPV Drones At Russian Shore Targets

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 7, 2025

Ukrainian USV Mi-8 Hip R-73 missile kill Black Sea
Sea

Ukraine Claims Its Drone Boat Shot Down A Russian Mi-8 Helicopter With A Surface-To-Air Missile

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 31, 2024

Ukraine’s Drone Boats Are Now Shooting Machine Guns At Russian Helicopters, Boats
Sea

Ukraine’s Drone Boats Are Now Shooting Machine Guns At Russian Helicopters, Boats

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 9, 2024

Clearer views of a new Chinese trimaran uncrewed surface vessel (USV) have emerged, highlighting a number of interesting low-observable (stealthy) and other features.
News & Features

China’s New Stealthy Trimaran Drone Ship: Our Best Look Yet (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Nov 9, 2024

We have now gotten our first look at the Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle (XL-AUV) underwater thanks to the Autonomous Warrior 2024 maritime autonomous capabilities demonstration in Australia.
Sea

Our First Look At The Ghost Shark Uncrewed Submarine Underwater

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Oct 25, 2024

Russia is training on using helicopters to launch FPV drones to attack Ukrainian sea drones.
News & Features

Russia Training To Launch FPV Drones From Helicopters To Counter Sea Drones

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Sep 30, 2024

Dutch missile ship
Sea

New Dutch Navy Support Vessels Will Be Missile-Toting Wingmen To Frigates

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Sep 25, 2024

Composite image from Navy's Silent Swarm 2024 event
Sea

Silent Swarm Exercise Accelerates Navy’s Path To Distributed Electronic Warfare Future

By Oliver Parken

Posted on Aug 1, 2024

A jet ski loaded with explosives, and presumed to be of Ukrainian origin, has been found off the Turkish coast near Istanbul. The modified jet ski likely joins a growing fleet of Ukrainian kamikaze drone boats that have been notably effective in disrupting Russian Navy activities in the Black Sea, in the process sinking or damaging multiple warships.
Sea

Explosives-Packed Jet Ski Drone Appears Off Turkish Coast

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jul 25, 2024

The embarked security team aboard the M/V Pumba destroyed a Houthi drone boat before it could cause any damage.
News & Features

Ship Security Team Appears To Detonate Explosive-Laden Houthi Drone Boat With Gunfire

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jul 23, 2024