US Army Drone Could Explore Deadly Waters Where Boats And Divers Can't Go, Study Shows

While it may seem counterintuitive given the branch's primary mission of ground warfare, the United States Army does have several types of boats in its inventory. The Army primarily uses these for logistics and cargo transport, though its maritime force also includes ships for storming beaches. Another area of interest is drone warfare, and while most Army drones fly, some float, and a new uncrewed surface vessel (USV) could potentially be used to help future Army coastal operations.

The Army is looking to acquire a USV that can drive into the surf, which is incredibly difficult and often dangerous for most vessels. It's long been a difficult area to patrol, but the Army might overcome this issue with Ocean Power Technologies' WAM-V 8 USV, which is unlike any drone currently used by the military. A weeklong study put the eight-foot-long and four-foot-wide WAM-V 8, which only draws 4 inches of water, through several tests, aiming to meet the Army's requirements for a craft that can handle the surf and cruise right up to the coastline without issue.

The highly mobile, easily deployable USV could solve the Army's coastal surf-breaking concern, which limits the use of larger vessels too close to shore. With a WAM-V 8, Army watercraft operators, also known as Army mariners, could fully map coastlines, aiding the Army Corps of Engineers' coastal operations. The drone could also be useful for command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR); counter-uncrewed aerial systems (cUAS; and locating mines, among others.

The Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory wants a system that can move where waves break, and that's where Ocean Power Technologies' WAM-V 8 USV comes into play. The drone has a 100-pound payload capacity, weighs 340 pounds unloaded, and can operate for 10 hours when moving at 3 knots. 

The WAM-V 8 runs on two 1,100-watt electric motors powered by lithium-ion batteries, and it's easily transportable in the back of a pickup truck. It's also easy to take apart and reassemble, so the Army should be able to move it by air as well. The drone could help the Army transport food, equipment, and fuel to shore, which would come in handy in the absence of a nearby port. In such a situation, the WAM-V 8 could scout a shoreline, identify sandbars, and map them, enabling larger vessels to enter the area safely.

The drone is a catamaran sitting atop two inflatable pontoons. It has a suspension that adjusts the pontoons to move with the waves, stabilizing it as much as possible. It carries sonar equipment in a device similar to a camera gimbal, which scans the bottom for potential hazards. While the Army has tested the WAM-V 8, it's unclear whether the branch will move forward with procurement, as more testing is necessary. Neither the Army nor OPT has released the results of the initial week-long study.