THE world’s first full-size drone warship that can wage war without a single sailor on board has been spotted taking to the seas.
Excited Washington State residents caught sight of the USX-1 Defiant as it headed through the Saratoga Passage north of Seattle.
It is the latest innovation from the US Navy in its efforts to add larger and more capable uncrewed vessels to its fleets.
The warship was developed as part of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) programme.
DARPA said the ship will “undergo extensive in-water testing, both at dockside and sea.
It added that it “is scheduled for a multi-month at sea demo in spring 2025”.
In the pictures the ship is under cover, but it looks to be in line with DARPA’s designs shown in the past.
The 180 ft long and 240 ton vessel has a mast at its centre.
The mast sports various navigation radars and antennas.
But its most impressive feature has to be its four Adaptable deck launchers for missiles and rockets.
This comes at a cost with an approximate $25 million price tag not including any add-on mission systems.
The USX-1 Defiant was completed in February.
The NOMARS program “intends to demonstrate significant advantages,” including at-sea reliability, hydrodynamic efficiency, and stealthy features.
DARPA states on its website that eliminating human involvement in ship design can lead to several benefits. These advantages include improved size, reduced cost, enhanced reliability at sea, better hydrodynamic efficiency, increased survivability in rough sea conditions, and improved protection against enemy actions by incorporating stealth technology and resistance to tampering.
