The U.S. Navy's Military Maritime Command (MSC) will receive its newest vessel in the near future as the 13th in a series of high-speed EPF expeditionary vessels, so named "13," is that the 13th is unique from the other 12 in that it may be the world's largest unmanned vessel. It is worth noting, however, that MSC intends to send the ship to the Western Pacific as a logistics ship for the U.S. Seventh Fleet. The motivation behind this move is self-evident.
(The world's largest unmanned vessel developed by the U.S. Navy)
The U.S. government continues to invest in the construction of an unmanned fleet and improve its level of modernization
The U.S. Navy's unmanned fleet program is ambitious and has a long history. So far, the U.S. Navy unmanned ship program has also made some progress and achievements. During the recent Rim of the Pacific military exercise, the unmanned ships sent by the US Navy included the "Sea Hunter" and the "Sea Eagle" anti-submarine patrol boat, as well as the "Ranger" and "Nomad" under the "Ghost Fleet Overlord" program.
In addition, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Admiral Michael Jill also revealed that in the future, the number of ships in the U.S. Navy fleet will increase to 513, including 363 manned combat ships and 150 unmanned ships. In exceptional circumstances, "priority will be given to upgrading the fleet rather than retaining the fleet structure." Previously, the U.S. Navy's first "Killer Whale" super-large unmanned underwater vehicle held a launching ceremony and began underwater testing. According to the United States, one of the highlights of the "killer whale" is that it can penetrate deep into the enemy's coastal areas and deploy mines to achieve the purpose of sabotaging the enemy's naval operations.
(The U.S. Navy's first Killer Whale super-large unmanned underwater vehicle)
In summary, the role of the unmanned fleet in the restructuring and layout of the US Navy's forces plays an important role. On the one hand, the United States can expand the size of its navy to 350 or even 400 ships under the premise of controlling the operation and maintenance costs of the fleet. On the other hand, the biggest advantage of unmanned ships is that they can perform large-scale continuous combat missions at a very low cost, which means that they have the ability to continuously perform all-weather and heavy combat tasks, which will greatly improve the overall combat efficiency of the fleet under the premise of controlling costs. Based on this, the US military will most likely not reduce its investment in the unmanned fleet in the coming period.
The dispatch of the world's largest unmanned ship to the Western Pacific shows its sinister intentions
This time, the US Navy pre-deployed the "13" in the western Pacific, which is also a point worthy of attention from the outside world. Not long ago, the most advanced destroyer of the United States, the "Zum Walter", was deployed for the first time in the western Pacific region and was incorporated into the Seventh Fleet, and has arrived in Japan in the past few days, triggering a commotion in the military fandom. In this regard, Chinese military experts said that the performance of the "Zumwalt" is second to none in the global navy, although it has been in service with problems, but after years of running-in, the problems exposed by it have also been basically solved, so we cannot take its deployment lightly.
(The destroyer Zumwalt arrives in Japan)
In addition to the Zumwalt, the U.S. Navy has previously deployed LCS coastal combat ships in the western Pacific Ocean to provide it with the corresponding weapons to ensure the equipment it needs in the event of a conflict with the Chinese fleet, and since this ship is also a relatively new weapon, the intention of accumulating experience to explore the method of warfare is also obvious. Judging from the various deployments of the US Navy in the Western Pacific, this time the US Navy wants to send the world's largest unmanned operating ship to the Western Pacific, which makes people further doubt whether the US military wants to use the vicinity of China as a test ground for its new weapons and test the performance of its ships in areas where PLA warships are frequently active.
For a long time, the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet has been the fleet that deals most with the Chinese Navy, and the seven major fleets of the U.S. Navy have performed their respective duties, but from the perspective of deployment positions and main combat tasks, their Second Fleet and Seventh Fleet mainly operate near China. After the U.S. Navy's Second Fleet resumed military activities, Grady, commander of its Naval Fleet Command, admitted that "the 'resurrection' of the Second Fleet is due to the fact that the U.S. naval power is under threat from the two major revival forces of Russia and China." It can be seen from this that the objectives of the US military deployment are very clear, and the Chinese side must remain vigilant.
Not only the United States, China's unmanned warship industry has developed rapidly
Of course, China is not blank in the field of unmanned surface ships, thanks to low operation and maintenance costs and high combat efficiency, unmanned surface ships and unmanned submersible vehicles that can sail independently have become the focus of the development of today's mainland navy. At a time when the United States is constantly strengthening its deployment, the news of the success of the first voyage of China's first 100-ton unmanned ship has also attracted much attention from the outside world.
(China's first national production of 100-ton unmanned boats)
According to official data, since 2015, the Chinese Navy has studied this unmanned boat, which is a national production of unmanned boats with a trimaran design, a displacement of about 200 tons, a maximum speed of up to 20 knots, normal work under level 5 sea conditions, safe navigation under level 6 sea conditions, and breakthroughs in key technologies such as autonomous navigation control.
In this regard, Israeli media said that the 200-ton unmanned boat is to some extent equivalent to the combination of the American "Sea Hunter" unmanned boat and the "Zumwalt" class destroyer. The Indian media said that the Chinese boat had a better stealth effect and a more aesthetic design than the American "Sea Hunter". The Pentagon also gave it a fairly high evaluation, believing that it could perform tasks such as gathering intelligence and assisting in the deployment of weapons launch platforms. In addition, the ship's maiden voyage has opened a new chapter in the future combat strategy of the Chinese Navy, making China the second country in the world after the United States to have such a tonnage of unmanned boats, helping China to rank among the first echelons of international military.
In terms of China's military strength and military scientific research level today, the new equipment such as unmanned ships of the United States is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity for us, and it is beneficial for us to learn from or catch up with these cutting-edge weapons and equipment of the US military at close range.