Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) initially gained credence with the U.S. military during the first Gulf War, continued to prove themselves in the Balkans, and finally came into their own as an indispensable asset for air, land, and sea forces at all levels during post-September 11 operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

They also solidified the foundation for greater research and development of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), which are substantially behind UAVs in technology development, integration into maritime concepts of operations and acceptance by potential users. But just as UAVs have reduced the number of pilots needed to fly dangerous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions or penetrate enemy air defenses early in a conflict, so are unmanned maritime systems (UMS) seen as a combination force multiplier and safety enhancement at sea.

That applies to both deep water and littoral (comparatively shallow water regions within a few miles of shore) missions.

“To meet future challenges in littoral and mine warfare, we must understand the operational capabilities resident in technologies such as unmanned vehicles. Furthermore, we must embrace advanced technology and its promises to pace the threat in this very complex world in which we live,” according to Program Executive Officer for Littoral and Mine Warfare (PEO LMW) E. Anne Sandel at the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). “Our single most important job in PEO LMW is to deliver state-of-the-art warfighting capability to the men and women who defend our freedom. Developing technology into operational capability like UMVs is one of the ways we accomplish our mission.

“Unmanned vehicle programs will continue to evolve and play an integral part in tomorrow’s battlespace. I am very excited about how these initiatives are using COTS [commercial off-the-shelf technologies], advanced technology solutions, small business innovation, and open architecture principles to build dependable and affordable unmanned systems. We in PEO LMW are committed to developing UMVs that will engage the enemy at range and ensure tactical advantages in the littoral warfighting environment.”

The U.S. Navy currently has no plans to employ UUVs or USVs for surface warfare operations, although the prospects for UAVs in that arena are growing, and a future role for UUVs and USVs remains open to development. For anti-mine and anti submarine warfare, however, those two platforms increasingly are seen as valuable extensions of existing capabilities.

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