The UK Royal Navy is organising an exercise, named Unmanned Warrior, which is aimed at promoting the latest technologies developed by the country’s defence companies.
The latest unmanned system technologies, including air, surface and sub-surface vehicles and sensors, will be displayed.
Commander and fleet robotics officer Peter Pipkin said that the exercise was not "a bidding process", but rather a podium to allow the British industry to showcase their automatic technology to be deployed into the navy.
Pipkin said: "Unmanned Warrior is going to provide a showcase for the demonstration of products in a tactically relevant environment.
The overall value will be in transforming the market as a whole by creating increased demand for these technologies, not seeking specific business opportunities within the event."
The event is scheduled to take place this year in the west coast of Scotland, with 40 participants from industry, academia and defence, including the US Navy and Nato Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE).
Participation in Unmanned Warrior is predominantly self-funded. The exercise will involve a series of tactical measures and equipment selected by the participants at a workshop last year, which included anti submarine warfare (ASW); information, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR); command and control; hydrographic and geo intelligence; and mine countermeasures (MCM).
Pipkin added: "We have deliberately adopted a different approach to capability demonstration, in that the MoD is inviting participants to offer their thoughts on what future capability might look like and where technology can be exploited without any preconceptions."
Image: An unmanned aerial system. Photo: courtesy of Royal Navy.
