The U.S. Navy is actively working on improving its arsenal and introducing the use of nmanned surface vehicles (USV). However, U.S. Navy representatives seriously emphasize that they cannot directly copy the approach of Ukraine, which has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to sink ships of the russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
This was stated by Rear Adm. Doug Sasse, writes Defence One. According to him, in the open sea, such as in the Pacific (Indian or Atlantic Ocean), "there are no trees to hide behind as you're coming across".
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The example is given that if a naval drone is made to work independently with the fleet, it should move at the same level as a carrier strike group, have appropriate seaworthiness and autonomy of at least 30 days, and also be cheap. Such conditions have problems with their interoperability and actually indicate the parameters that a conventional frigate or destroyer is endowed with.
At the same time, the importance of having a crew to perform tasks and control actions on the battlefield is emphasized. An example is given when the destroyer USS Spruance intercepted an Iranian tanker that was trying to break through the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Rear Adm. Doug Sasse also noted that the US Navy currently has no shortage of anti-ship assets. Therefore, naval drones are currently used more as reconnaissance, surveillance and patrolling tools to supplement the fleet's capabilities, including during the war against Iran.
Defense Express notes that this idea can generally be agreed with, as the Americans have a different doctrine, according to which they should conduct combat operations in the open ocean and support expeditionary forces on other continents, while the Ukrainian Navy usually operates in the closed waters of the Black Sea or coastal zones.
At the same time, it should be noted that the idea that to increase the effectiveness of naval drones, they should be endowed with the same characteristics as a regular frigate or corvette seems rather strange. At the same time, it comes to mind that for use in the ocean zone, the same USV can be transported to the area of possible use on board a "mother ship", where, if necessary, it can be deployed to perform specific tasks.
Let us recall that After 2 Hijack Attempts U.S. Is Arming Saildrone with Tomahawks and JAGMs.
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