Ghost Fleet Overlord

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The unmanned USV Nomad transiting the Pacific as part of RIMPAC 2022 USV Nomad RIMPAC 2022 front quarter view.jpg
The unmanned USV Nomad transiting the Pacific as part of RIMPAC 2022

Ghost Fleet Overlord is a fleet of test unmanned surface vehicles operated by the U.S. Navy. [1]

Contents

Ghost Fleet Overlord is being developed by the Department of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office. [1] It is a partnership between the Defense Department's Strategic Capabilities Office and the Navy. [2]

Vessels

As of August 2022, the fleet consists of three ships delivered, the first is USV Ranger, [3] the second is USV Nomad, [1] and the third is USV Mariner. [4] The fourth ship, USV Vanguard, was built by Austal USA and launched on January 15, 2024 [5] . In June 2021, there were two additional Ghost Fleet Overlord prototype USVs under construction and will be used to expand and accelerate the Navy’s experimentation and testing. [3]

While technically "uncrewed", the ships carry a crew of six human sailors. Most of the ship's functions are automated, but can be carried out manually by the onboard human crew if the need arises. [6]

Weapons

USV Mariner is outfitted with next-generation command and control systems and a virtualised Aegis Combat System. [7] Its test will help in putting combat systems on Large Unmanned Surface Vehicles. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survey vessel</span> Type of research vessel

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USS <i>Independence</i> (LCS-2) Independence-class littoral combat ship

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned surface vehicle</span> Vehicle that operates on the surface of the water without a crew

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USS Mariner may refer to:

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USS <i>Coronado</i> (LCS-4) Independence-class littoral combat ship

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<i>Spearhead</i>-class expeditionary fast transport US navy catamaran

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel</span>

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Fleet-class unmanned surface vessel

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<i>Sea Hunter</i> Autonomous unmanned surface vehicle launched in 2016

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Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle Unmanned sea vessel

The Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LUSV) is an unmanned surface vessel designed for the United States Navy and set to begin construction in 2020. Designed to be low-cost, high-endurance, reconfigurable ships based on commercial designs, they will have the capacity for modular payloads such as anti-ship, anti-submarine or anti-air weapons. Capable of operating with human operators in the loop, the Navy envisions the ships operating alongside fleets as scouts and magazine ships.

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Saildrone, Inc. is a United States company based in Alameda, California, that designs, manufacturers, and operates a fleet of unmanned/uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), or ocean drones, known as "saildrones". The company was founded by engineer Richard Jenkins in 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 3 LaGrone, Sam (7 June 2021). "Ghost Fleet Ship 'Nomad' Arrives in California After 4,421 Nautical-Mile, '98 Percent' Autonomous Trip". USNI News. United States Naval Institute . Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. Lopez, Todd. "DOD's Autonomous Vessel Sails Through Transit Test, Participates in Exercise Dawn Blitz". DoD News. U. S. Department of Defense . Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Ghost Fleet Overlord Unmanned Surface Vessel Program Completes Second Autonomous Transit to the Pacific". Release. United States Department of Defense. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  4. "Unmanned Surface Vehicle Mariner Next Ghost Fleet Vessel to Join the Navy". USNI News. 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  5. "Austal USA Launches Vanguard USV For U.S. Navy". Naval News. 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  6. Slayton, Nicholas (August 28, 2022). "The Navy's 'ghost fleet' is growing". Task & Purpose.
  7. Salerno-Garthwaite, Andrew (August 21, 2023). "Leidos secures $95m contract to manage Overlord and medium USV".
  8. "Unmanned Surface Vehicle Mariner Next Ghost Fleet Vessel to Join the Navy - USNI News".