The Royal Navy’s (RN) Unmanned Warrior 2016 Exercise (UW16) has successfully completed four weeks of intensive trials and experiments using unmanned and autonomous vessels in maritime operations.
In parallel with briefings at MoD Hebrides and BUTEC Ranges in Scotland, the DGP’s Centre for Maritime Intelligent Systems (CMIS) welcomed VIP guests from across MoD, Government and Industry. Guests heard presentations from Rear Admiral Bennett, Commodore Morley, Captain Carroll and Commander Pipkin, the RN’s Fleet Robotics Officer. Captain Sharon Malkin, Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff Innovation joined David Bradley, Head of CMIS to outline how the RN and CMIS will work together to preserve the legacy of UW16 and accelerate understanding of future employment of autonomous capability in routine operations. For intelligent systems and autonomy, important goals include the ability to fully integrate assets with platforms giving command teams timely access to information and supporting decision making.
Guests were able to tour the CMIS synthetic environment operations laboratory and many of the organisations participating in Unmanned Warrior were on hand with displays and personnel to explain and showcase their contribution to the exercise and future vision for autonomous capabilities in the maritime. An innovative immersive 3D model of the exercise environment was shown, focusing on selected surveillance and reconnaissance tasks. The CMIS interactive toolset highlighted how future maritime operations will be undertaken more effectively and efficiently by intelligent and autonomous systems under the control and supervision of humans.
The RN and CMIS theme of innovation and the future very much aligns to the DGP’s Defence Solutions Centre role in shaping future roadmaps and intervention projects in support of UK prosperity and exports.
