Can the Navy's new unmanned surface vessels (USVs) really keep up with a carrier strike group? Can they really add useful firepower without just adding more logistics problems?
Are these simply large PT boats?
The U.S. Navy is moving swiftly to integrate and deploy unmanned surface vessels, with three USV divisions slated to be created next week and two medium USVs to be operating under fleet control this year. ...
Miller said that the service’s long-anticipated Seahawk and Sea Hunter medium USVs will no longer be experimental and will be deployed this year, telling Defense News that the Seahawk will become part of a carrier strike group. The deployments will take place beginning in the next month.
How will those nearly 135-foot USVs keep up with a carrier strike group? That certainly was a requirement. Is it still? And how often will they need to be refueled? How will they be reloaded when they expend their containerized payloads?
I'm by nature a land guy, but putting these in carrier strike groups makes no sense to me.
For blue waters, I have thoughts on larger USVs.
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NOTE: Navy photo from the article.
