Autonomous Boat Handles Solent Traffic

The Royal Navy's experiments with autonomous platforms took another leap forward when an uncrewed Pacific 24 was able to navigate some of the busiest waters off England's south coast.

As per a recent Royal Navy press statement the Autonomous PACific (APAC) semi-rigid boat has just successfully completed a week of trials in the Solent and in Portsmouth Harbour alongside experimentation ship the XV Patrick Blackett.

It stated: "The week-long trials pushed the uncrewed vessel to its limits with rough seas and even snow testing its systems and software in a range of operational scenarios."

The trials were run by NavyX, the Royal Navy’s experimental branch charged with developing, testing, and trialling cutting-edge equipment ahead of its potential adoption by the wider service.

Tests in autonomous mode had the vessel following pre-programmed manoeuvres; at other times the APAC was also piloted remotely by a Royal Marine using a console on board the Patrick Blackett. Sensors and cameras on the APAC sent live feeds to control units and computers on the larger vessel.

Commander Michael Hutchinson, commanding officer of XV Patrick Blackett and part of the NavyX team, said: “Integrating crewed and uncrewed systems and operating them at the same time is a huge step forward for the Royal Navy.

“This is the first time a fully autonomous and crewless boat has been operated in U.K. waters and we have achieved this throughout the week in different conditions and completing a range of tests. It forms the backbone for further integration that future ships will have with autonomous technology."

Navy X had previously experimented with the APAC alongside other NATO partners in late summer in Portugal as part of the annual Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems (REPMUS) exercise.  

• You can read more details on the Royal Navy website