Pentagon bought an unmanned Surface Vessel (USV), the Muskie M18, from Maritime Tactical Systems Inc. (MARTAC) to test for kamikaze missions.
Ukraine’s battle in the Black Sea with Russian vessels set an example for the U.S. Pentagon, which bought the Muskie M18 USV from Florida-based company Maritime Tactical Systems Inc. (MARTAC).
The Muskie M18 is a relatively simple design with many commercial components. It is 5.5 meters long and can reach a speed of 50 knots, a range of 500 nautical miles, carrying up to 450 kg of explosives. It differs from a plastic speedboat with a remote control set. It has satellite communication, a commercial shipping radar, and a small mast with a day/night camera, while the vessel is low profile for difficulty in detection. The 3rd Fleet is already testing the Muscie M18 in San Diego as part of a range of new unmanned aerial vehicles for naval use.
MARTAC’s base autonomy stack allows M18s to be operated remotely or autonomously with operator interaction at any time during the mission. The company, however, does not state whether the autonomy is limited to navigation or if it can attack a target on its own without a man in the loop.
