Who needs sailors anyway?

[Kirkhill]

The cost of doing things conventionally

The Navy's shipyard upgrades could take 50 years, cost $200 billion

A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that the program lacks regular evaluations and risks running up its costs.

taskandpurpose.com

Sometimes you just have to do the other thing.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Autonomous FARP on a barge.

A 54,000-pound twin-rotor special operations helicopter set down on a self-driving drone barge holding position with nobody aboard, took on supplies right on deck, and the landing is the first of its kind the American public has been told about

Most people can pick a Chinook out of a lineup even if they couldn't name another helicopter on Earth. It's the big twin-rotor machine shaped like a flying

www.autonocion.com

I hate to burst the US government 's bubble, but if that is a picture of the event, then I call bull!

That barge is not driving anywhere: It s a t anchor forward (you can see the chain at a 30 degrees angle going in the water) and held for direction by being made fast to a buoy aft (you can see the buoy and the line pulling on it in the water below the helicopter in the picture).

That barge neither anchored nor made itself fast to a buoy by itself - people were onboard to do it.

 

[Kirkhill]

U.S. Special Forces Operate Helicopter From Autonomous Barge for the First Time - Naval News

The U.S. Army's 160th SOAR has landed an MH-47G Chinook on an autonomous Sea Machines barge for the first time, advancing naval logistics and drone integration.

www.navalnews.com

Sea Machines Signs Contract To Create Autonomous VTOL Replenishment Vessels - Naval News

Sea Machines Robotics, announced on August 5, that it has advanced its multi-year Other Transaction (OT) agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).

www.navalnews.com

Sea Machines - AUTONOMY WITHOUT LIMITS - Sea Machines Robotics

Sea machines is revolutionizing marine technology with data-driven intelligence, autonomy, and connectivity. Learn more about autonomous marine technology.

sea-machines.com

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

There are two other points here: If that helicopter crashed on deck, the crew is basically dead, and no one is coming to put out the fire. Second: the actual resupplying of the helicopter (fuel, etc.) has to be done by the helicopter crew. And what about the actual load the helicopter is there to pick up to support whichever force? Is that load going to prepare itself from stores by itself and then connect itself to the helicopter also by itself?

My question overall, what's the point? Isn't there much greater flexibility in an actual support vessel with a crew?

All I see her is a barge with fuel that basically drives itself around, but the crew of the helicopter or of the vessel that comes alongside for fuel has to do all the work of refueling/replenishing itself from the store. Not a big deal.