The US Navy Can Now Launch Missiles From Unmanned Boats

A tripod-mounted Spike missile mock-up

The military and quasi-military divisions of the United States Government have been able to launch missiles from unarmed flying drones for a while, but only recently have they expanded the functionality to unmanned seafaring vessels. Today, the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Naval Special Warfare Program Office  announced that they successfully launched six missiles from an unmanned vessel on October 24. The missiles launched were Rafael Spike missiles, which feature automatic self-guidance with a 3.5km range. The missiles are made in Israel  which the United States worked with to complete this project. They were launched from a USV PEM, which a remotely-operated 33-foot boat. Personell navigate the boat from shore sitting in a remote control center.

This project, aside from being a capability the US Military needs, is designed to help out when there are swarms of small attack craft.