The Chief of Naval Operation's Expeditionary Warfare Division and the
Naval Sea Systems Command's Naval Special Warfare Program Office successfully
launched six Rafael Spike missiles from an unmanned surface vessel precision
engagement module (USV PEM) on Oct. 24th, the first time the Navy has
shot a Spike missile from an unmanned surface vessel.
Though the U.S. military has had the capacity for several years to target
and engage enemy forces remotely using missiles from unmanned airborne
vehicles comparable technological progression has not been achieved
for unmanned surface going vessels. The USV PEM, a remotely operated
eleven meter boat armed with missiles and a .50 caliber machine gun,
represents the first significant step forward in surface unmanned combat
capability. |
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The increase in attention and effort for water borne
technological advancements coincides with the drawing down of U.S. military
resources in the land locked campaign in Afghanistan and a strategic
refocusing to problem regions were unconventional maritime threats must
be accounted for. "The USV PEM project was developed in response
to recent world events which have increased the concern over swarms
of small attack craft, as well as threat assessments outlined in recent
studies conducted by the Naval Warfare Development Command," said
NAVSEA Naval Special Warfare Assistant Program Manager Mark Moses. "The
study punctuates the effectiveness of these swarm attacks against both
military re-supply ships and naval vessels. Technology demonstrated
in this project can provide a capability to combat terrorists who use
small low-cost vehicles as weapons platforms."
The PEM, which aims, fires, and updates the missile in the flight, is
operated by shore-based personnel. These personnel, sitting in a remote
control center, use onboard sensors to control the boat and obtain and
destroy targets. During the demonstration, they engaged stationary and
moving targets out to 3.5km. The Spike missile uses electro-optic and
infrared sensors to identify and lock onto the target. "The fiber
optic tether is ultra thin and is spooled up and uncoils automatically
during flight," said Moses "This allows the operator to view
updated targeting information to the missile while it is in flight and
to confirm the missile is tracking the intended target up to the moment
of impact."
The demonstration is part of a joint project between the U.S. and Israel
accomplished under an international agreement with the Combating Terrorist
Tactics Support Office. The integration of the PEM into the USV was
done with cooperation from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport,
Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane and Naval Surface Warfare Center
Dahlgren.
NAVSEA's Naval Special Warfare Program Office is responsible for acquiring
and maintaining systems for Navy special operations forces, including
a shallow water combat submersible, SEAL delivery vehicle, semi-autonomous
hydrographic reconnaissance vehicle, hydrographic mapping unit, diving
systems, and Navy small arms.
From: NAVSEA Office of Corporate Communications
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