A flotilla of uncrewed wolf pack drone boats has successfully been used to escort warships in a Royal Navy and Army trial. The Navy said it was a milestone demonstration of how it could utilise such technology in a real-life scenario. With camera and sensor data being fed back to Patrick Blackett, five 7.2m autonomous Rattler boats safely escorted the two ships playing the role of foreign warships during the 72-hour milestone training exercise, it said. The demonstration was a culmination of months of trials by the Navy's Disruptive Capabilities and Technology Office (DCTO) and the Fleet Experimentation Squadron (FXS). Each of the Rattler boats were operated by a two-person team, with one responsible for piloting the drone and the other monitoring and operating onboard systems, as well as helping to manage live data streams.

When it comes to clearing the ocean of explosives, the British Royal Navy is turning to robots. Announced April 12, the Ministry of Defense is awarding £32 million (about $42 million) to Dorset-based company Atlas Elektronik to give the fleet an "autonomous mine-hunting capability." Employing robots to hunt and clear the sea of naval mines should make waterways useful for military missions and safe for commercial and civilian use afterwards. "The threat posed by sea mines is constantly evolving," said Simon Bollom, CEO of the UK's Defence Equipment and Support Board, in a statement. To meet this changing threat, the Royal Navy is acquiring a total of nine robotic vehicles, equipped with synthetic aperture sonar and advanced software.

They may seem like something out of The Avengers film franchise, but these ambitious concepts of revolutionary warships are actually part of the Royal Navy's vision of what the British fleet could look like in the future. Detailed proposals for four potential vehicles, created by young engineers, have been released, including a stealth submarine carrier and a huge flying drone station which would be attached to a helium balloon and based in the stratosphere. The idea is that attack drones shaped like conventional airplanes could then be launched from the station'at a moment's notice' before shooting down towards Earth and potentially gliding just beneath the water in a stealth mode and smashing into an enemy ship. The Royal Navy hasn't disclosed anticipated costs of bringing to life the newly-revealed concepts, which have been described as one expert involved in British defence and security operations as very much'in the realm of speculative thinking'. They have been put forward by young engineers from industry and academia as part of a challenge posed by the UK Naval Engineering Science and Technology (UKNEST), aimed at helping the Royal Navy to develop ideas for an autonomous fleet that could shape how it operates over the next 50 years.

The Royal Navy has made its first at-sea use of artificial intelligence (AI) to track supersonic missile attacks, as part of a NATO exercise taking place off the west coast of Scotland. HMS Dragon, a destroyer, and frigate HMS Lancaster are testing how two AI software packages can support personnel in reacting to missile threats. Startle monitors airspace and generates alerts and recommendations, while Sycoiea builds on this to identify incoming missiles and recommend weapons to deal with them. The AI software is designed to help personnel react faster, rather than replacing humans. "I was able identify missile threats more quickly than usual and even outwit the operations room," said above water tactician leading seaman Sean Brooks on HMS Lancaster.

The Royal Navy, the British navy, has used artificial intelligence at sea for the first time. It was during the "Formidable Shield" exercise, currently taking place off the coast of Scotland, that AI was exploited by the maritime component of the UK army. Two applications were tested to combat supersonic missile threats. "Formidable Shield is an exercise designed to test the weapons systems of ten NATO navies and their interoperability against the latest and most advanced threats. Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom participate in the initiative, which takes place every two years for three weeks. As part of the exercise, a British operational experiment was conducted on HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, and HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 frigate. Two AI applications called Startle and Sycoiea were tested to combat a potential supersonic missile threat. "It is vital that our brave and skilled armed forces stay in the game for the security of the UK and our allies.

The Royal Navy is using artificial intelligence (AI) at sea for the first time to test against supersonic missile threats. The trial is part of Exercise Formidable Shield, which is currently taking place off the coast of Scotland until June 3 and is led by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO on behalf of the US Sixth Fleet. Research, led by Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) scientists, finds that AI accelerates engagement timelines, improves early detection of lethal threat, and provides Royal Navy Commanders with a rapid hazard assessment to select the optimum weapon or measure to counter and destroy the target. The Type 45 Destroyer (HMS Dragon) and Type 23 Frigate (HMS Lancaster) are testing two AI applications, Startle and Sycoiea. It is noted that the Startle system is designed to provide live recommendations, ease the load on sailors monitoring the'Air Picture' in the Operations Room, while Sycoiea system helps in identifying the nearest threat and how best to deal with it. These AI-based applications are being trailed to ensure that they work along with the existing radar and combat management systems.

A rtificial intelligence (AI) has been used by the Royal Navy at sea for the first time – testing against supersonic missile threats. The research is being led by Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) scientists – with the AI being tested on destroyer HMS Dragon and frigate HMS Lancaster. The MoD said the AI improves the early detection of lethal threat, accelerates engagement timelines and provides Royal Navy Commanders with a rapid hazard assessment to select the optimum weapon or measure to counter and destroy the target. "The Royal Navy's use of AI for the first time at sea is an important development in ensuring readiness to tackle threats we may face. The Royal Navy's use of AI for the first time at sea is an important development in ensuring readiness to tackle threats we may face. A rtificial intelligence (AI) has been used by the Royal Navy at sea for the first time – testing against supersonic missile threats. The research is being led by Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) scientists – with the AI being tested on destroyer HMS Dragon and frigate HMS Lancaster. The MoD said the AI improves the early detection of lethal threat, accelerates engagement timelines and provides Royal Navy Commanders with a rapid hazard assessment to select the optimum weapon or measure to counter and destroy the target. "The Royal Navy's use of AI for the first time at sea is an important development in ensuring readiness to tackle threats we may face.

The Royal Navy and the US Navy are working on ways to establish links between their digital delivery teams, test methods for international collaboration and develop deeper technical collaboration around artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The work, which started in August 2020, is part of a wider initiative to establish better technology cooperations between the US and the UK. It follows a mandate from senior leaders in digital and AI at both organisations, with the objective to "aggressively explore, develop and demonstrate" how the two countries make applications work together in an interoperable way, and how they can interchangeably use each other's technology. A shared long-term vision is that US-UK development squadrons will be created, to develop AI and ML to support fleet operations centres to tactical-level units, and interoperability with joint service partners. Under that mandate, a collaboration plan was devised by Royal Navy Digital Services and the US Navy to look at specific pieces of technology and the methods the organisations use to research, design and build software.

Navy chiefs are planning a fleet of "killer" robot ships which can think for themselves, we can reveal. They will have stealth technology, advanced radar, lasers and rail-guns capable of firing shells at 4,500mph. The vessels will use artificial intelligence – computerised brains – to work out tactics far more quickly than humans. Scientists say they will operate on their own or from a control room on shore – or act as mother ships to a fleet of smaller craft designed to overwhelm conventional ships. The Royal Navy says humans would set the limits of a battle and let the ships do the rest.

The funding aims to revolutionise the way warships make decisions and process thousands of strands of intelligence and data by using Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Nine projects will share an initial £1 million to develop technology and innovative solutions to overcome increasing'information overload' faced by crews as part of DASA's Intelligent Ship – The Next Generation competition. The astonishing pace at which global threats are evolving requires new approaches and fresh-thinking to the way we develop our ideas and technology. The funding will research pioneering projects into how A.I and automation can support our armed forces in their essential day-to-day work. Intelligent Ship is focused on inventive approaches for Human-AI and AI-AI teaming for defence platforms – such as warships, aircraft, and land vehicles – in 2040 and beyond.