Drone operations could represent a paradigm shift for the Royal Navy

13 September 2012

The variety and likely affordability of naval drones should mean the major restriction on their use is the operator's imagination, argues maritime consultant and former Royal Navy officer David Mugridge

Given the Royal Navy's austerity budget and its love affair with technology, unmanned air, surface and underwater vehicles may yet offer an attractive "spend a little to save a lot" option for the future. This force-multiplying technology will also preserve aspects of the RN's dwindling operational capability in the inevitable face of further cuts.

In terms of manpower and training costs for 2020's 29,000-strong force, they offer up a huge potential saving, particularly within the Fleet Air Arm. Early operational analysis suggests such technology could in fact provide a significant uplift in the organic capabilities delivered from a variety of warships, either as a complement to existing sensors, weapons or rotary wing assets and in some cases their eventual replacements.

Of course they could provide another reason to accelerate the general move away from frigates towards corvettes and Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), a move which is gathering pace among many cash-strapped navies who recognise their more cost-effective utility for the many constabulary operations which dominate today's naval tasking.

We must of course remember that parlance such as 'unmanned' is misleading, as there will inevitably be a human in the operational Observe, Orient, Decide and Act (OODA) loop - be they a remote operator, data handler or decision maker within any of a number of mission sets.

In Mine Counter Measure (MCM) Operations, the move towards underwater robotics has allowed both the military and commercial diving sectors to rapidly expand their use of technology. In the decade since remotely operated vehicles were first proposed as the optimum technique for enhancing very shallow MCM capacity, much progress has been made.

Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations could be undertaken by autonomous, high-endurance drones; if technology demonstrated by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) comes to bear. Under the auspices of the ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) programme, DARPA wishes to develop and prove a 'game-changing' capability to track and trail threat-like submarines. For this concept to become a reality, DARPA will need to demonstrate a platform capable of safe navigation, autonomous employment of its sensor suite in a tactical environment and delivery of the reliability necessary to perform extended autonomous missions.

The rise of piracy, narco-terrorism and non-state terrorism have dramatically changed today's strategic maritime environment in favour of constabulary operations. Those who threaten today's maritime security enjoy an agility and adaptability which few conventional militaries can respond to due to a lack of platforms and the cost of deploying state-of-the-art warships far from home waters. Here, low-technology platforms such as converted offshore support vessels could operate a full suite of drone platforms to provide an enduring, cost-effective answer to both deployed and domestic constabulary operations.

In terms of organic aviation, be they rotary or winged drones, the utility of unmanned craft has huge potential. Their ability to provide enduring surface search ahead of the launch of an armed manned aircraft is a huge boost, particularly with the demise of Nimrod; as is their ability to be flown from much smaller platforms than the envisaged Type 26.

Drones could also be used in training. UK-based Meggitt Defence Systems have introduced a remote controlled craft which accurately simulates the threat from Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC). The Tiger Shark target boat operates at speeds of over 40 knots and can be remotely controlled within a range of more than seven nautical miles. This sort of craft can replicate high-speed naval tactics and a variety of operational scenarios. It can replicate threats in swarms of up to 16 vehicles.

Drone technology represents a paradigm shift in naval operations, every bit as pronounced as the arrival of UAVs to theatres such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Their field of operational employment is only limited by the imagination of the end users and their ever-tightening purse strings; which, on current evidence, appear to be fairly stringent.