The US Army has successfully tested autonomous boats during a recent military exercise with the Philippine Army. The unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, were deployed ahead of a US Army Logistics Support Vessel as it neared Casiguran port, observing the environment and transmitting information to personnel on land.
The operation was part of Salaknib 2026 and supported the transportation of Philippine Army personnel and vehicles. The USVs navigated autonomously using onboard sensors to identify potential threats and provide commanders with a continuous picture of the operating environment.
The demonstration highlights the US military's expanding unmanned maritime fleet across the Indo-Pacific, with plans to grow its fleet of medium unmanned surface vessels from four to over 30 by 2030.
