Royal Navy hosts 40 organisations involved in Unmanned Warrior
Fleet Robotics Officer Commander Peter Pipkin (right) said: “We have made great progress, Unmanned Warrior is well set and it is going to blaze a path for others to follow.”
The demonstration of unmanned systems overlaid onto the twice-yearly multinational Joint Warrior exercise staged off western Scotland will set a more challenging environment for the participants and allow the Royal Navy to see first-hand how some of the systems and sensors could integrate into current and future operations.
Unmanned Warrior will see more than 50 vehicles, sensors and systems operating in a number of themed activities in the MoD exercise areas based around Scotland.
Commander Pipkin added: “We are deliberately trying to keep the scope of activity as broad as possible; there are few, if any, constraints on what participants have offered to demonstrate.
"Unmanned Warrior is about seeking innovative ways to operate on the leading edge of technology; it’s not about removing humans from the decision chain or replacing every bit of our current capabilities with unmanned systems.
“If it’s unmanned and it can operate in the maritime environment then we are working hard to find a way of incorporating it into the programme.”
Admiral Sir Philip Jones, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, said ”The growing scale of Unmanned Warrior is a clear demonstration of the Royal Navy’s ambition to lead and win through technological innovation.
“Unmanned maritime systems will change how we operate, but they’re just the start. Our pursuit of new technologies and ideas – from big data to 3D-printing – will ensure we remain one of the most capable and successful navies in the world.”
