Abstract:
The unmanned surface combat system(USCS) is a kind of new concept navy weapon system,which has great significance in enhancing the operational capability and operational efficiency of naval forces. This paper introduces and analyzes the researches and applications of the USCSs, including U.S. Navy’s Spartan Scout, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) continuous trail unmanned vessel(ACTUV), unmanned surface and undersea vehicle Submaran S10, common unmanned surface vessel(CUSV), and Israeli Navy’s Protector and Silver Marlin. Furthermore, two technical development routes of shore-based and ship-based USCSs are discussed, and the technical development tendency and potential operational applications are analyzed. The main issues needing to be solved for deployment and operational application of USCS are raised, including rapid deployment and recovery, marine application safety, accurate target recognition, autonomous planning and command control, interoperability, environmental adaptability, and fault response. The purpose of this paper is to provide a reference for Chinese Navy in establishment and development of USCS.