Aukus navies remote-control ships from 16,000km away in experiment
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The navies of Britain, Australia and the US conducted a series of military experiments - dubbed "Maritime Big Play" - to test uncrewed equipment in mock operational scenarios.
PHOTO: ROYAL NAVY
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LONDON - The navies of Britain, Australia and the US were able to control uncrewed ships in Australia while sitting more than 16,000km away in Portugal as part of a series of military experiments, Britain's Royal Navy said on Oct 4.
The Aukus security pact between the three nations,
"The successes experienced, including proving the ability of all three Aukus navies to command-and-control vessels on the other side of the world in a tactically realistic scenario, show how close we are to realising our ambition of a genuine team of crewed and uncrewed systems, capable of operating and prevailing everywhere on the planet, from the seabed to space," Royal Navy Director Develop James Parkin said in a statement.
The experiments - dubbed "Maritime Big Play" - also tested other uncrewed equipment in mock operational scenarios. This included dropping payloads from a drone, with the ultimate aim of getting uncrewed technology to the front line quickly.
Aukus nations are planning further experiments later this year, involving about 30 systems in a large-scale demonstration in the Indo-Pacific, the Royal Navy said.
The Aukus nations have been deepening their collaboration this year, including reforms announced in August to remove significant defence trade barriers.
China has called the Aukus pact dangerous and warned it could spur a regional arms race. REUTERS
