US Testing New Stealth Autonomous Drones

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Fluctus channel. Drones are unmanned aircraft, meaning they have no crew or passengers. They are controlled remotely, either by a radio transmitter or Wi-Fi. Developed by the United States and Britain during the First World War, drones became an essential part of military warfare in Vietnam, mostly for reconnaissance purposes. That usage continues to be controversial. Following the September 11 attacks, drones have increasingly been deployed as a spy in the sky, keeping an eye on the ground below. But proponents of this technology insist, drones are essential to track the operations of terrorist organizations in remote places and, in some cases, take out enemies from a safe distance. This strange-looking drone is one of the most important in the U.S. military. It's the world's first aircraft carrier-based unmanned aircraft. As seen here on the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush, the Boeing MQ-25 has been called a stingray in the sky for its dark gray appearance and flat profile. After winning a more than $800 million contract, Boeing announced that four MQ-25s would be manufactured by 2024. They will primarily be used for aerial refueling. Refueling in midair significantly extends the distance Navy jets can fly. The Navy's goal is for the aircraft to be able to deliver 15,000 pounds of fuel to four to six airplanes at a range of 500 miles. The MQ-25 first proved its capabilities to refuel in flight during this test over the fields of Illinois in June 2021. Taking off in the minutes before the jet, the drone waits in midair, then extends a hose to the F-18 Super Hornet. After the refueling is complete, the hose retracts to the drone. Both aircraft landed safely. The Navy's program manager said this successful test shows it is possible for an unmanned aircraft to free up Navy strike fighters from the tanker role and provide the carrier air wing with greater range, flexibility, and capability. Other countries are also tapping into drone capabilities. The Royal Australian Air Force developed this drone, called the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, in partnership with Boeing. It's named after the ghost bat, a native Australian mammal known for teaming together in a pack to detect and hunt. Developers say the name reflects the unique characteristics of the aircraft's sensors and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance abilities. Drones are not only airborne. USVs, or unmanned surface vehicles, operate without a pilot or crew on the ground or water. First developed in World War II, primarily for minesweeping, USVs can save lives by scoping out situations before a soldier sets foot on the ground. Today, USVs are becoming more widely used for a range of purposes, including oceanography and environmental monitoring, as well as cargo transport. The SeaCat is a seagoing, catamaran-type drone. It's designed for automatic or remotely controlled inspection and survey missions on offshore infrastructures. Some of those infrastructures include pipelines, underwater hulls of ships, and moorings. The SeaCat is made of aluminum with inflatable lateral tubes, helping it be shockproof and lightweight. The overall system fits inside a 20-foot container to ease transport. With no operator, the SeaCat saves on cost and reduces CO2 emissions, offering a safe, clean, and affordable solution for offshore inspection, maintenance, and repair campaigns, IMR campaigns. Unmanned surface vehicles are also used to search for naval mines. Naval mines are explosives placed in the water or on the ocean floor to damage or destroy ships or submarines. The mines are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any vessel, which is why unmanned vehicles protect ships by locating and intercepting the mines before they make contact with a larger passenger vessel. The AQS-24B Mine Hunter is deployed to comb the sea for these threats. Developed by Northrop Grumman in conjunction with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, it is the U.S. Navy's first mine warfare unmanned surface vessel. The AQS-24B comes equipped with a smaller drone that can be lowered into the water and towed behind the boat. Shaped like a small submarine, with sonar capabilities and laser scanners, the underwater drone scans for bottom-laid and moored mines. The AQS-24B addresses the three key aspects of the mine warfare challenge. First, it reduces the mine clearance timeline. Second, it improves the detection and classification of undersea objects of interest. And third, it dramatically enhances crew safety by keeping the sailor out of the minefield. Demonstrations show in real time how unmanned systems can augment manned mine warfare operations. From engine-powered to solar-powered, this unmanned vessel looks like a futuristic sailboat. In October 2022, the sail drone was tested in the Arabian Gulf as part of an ongoing partnership between the U.S. Navy and the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The U.S.-based manufacturers of the sail drone say that it is environmentally friendly as it's solar-powered and has no carbon footprint. Its mission is also beneficial for the environment. Sail drone vehicles have sailed nearly a million nautical miles and spent more than 18,000 days at sea collecting data that provides unprecedented intelligence for climate, mapping, and maritime security applications. According to Saildrone's CEO, in 2023, the company expects an increase in the number of seabed reconnaissance missions across the Atlantic, Pacific, and the Middle East. Governments around the globe are clearly eager to learn more about what lies beneath the waves. Communication and energy lines lie along the ocean floors, and those lines connect countries and continents. Mapping the ocean floor and understanding its layout can also inform military operations, particularly related to submarines. Submarines often evade detection by hiding in dips and crevices on the ocean floor. To counter enemy unmanned systems at sea, the U.S. Navy has many tools at its disposal to defend its vessels, even when they're in the middle of the ocean. Close proximity threats are those that are near enough to the ship to pose an immediate danger. They range from fast attack boats and unmanned vehicles to aerial threats like warplanes and drones. For such circumstances, sailors are trained in the use of .5 caliber machine guns. These powerful rapid-fire weapons can provide instant suppressive fire against small boats, low-flying drones, and other nearby threats. They are especially useful against fast-moving targets, as they can fire at rates as high as 120 rounds per minute. This is often enough to push threats away from the ship, if not destroy them outright. Some close-up threats call for more precise attacks, which is why Navy soldiers are also trained in the use of light arms and assault rifles. In the event that the ship is boarded or larger weapons cannot be used effectively, these crewmen can still defend their ship effectively. While at sea, crews will often turn portions of the ship's desk into firing ranges so that they can practice various attack and defense scenarios. Despite their size, small boats can pose a major threat to even the most sophisticated battleships. Marines and other Navy personnel are trained to take such threats seriously. They will use everything from machine guns to helicopters to explosives to keep fast attack boats from breaching the ship's perimeter. Another extremely valuable asset available to some Navy ships is the Mk 38 Mod 3. The Mk 38 can be fitted with a 25mm chain gun capable of firing more than 200 rounds per minute. Most importantly, this state-of-the-art weapon system has been modified for remote operation, allowing for precision targeting in rough seas or against moving threats. The weapon has a maximum range of more than 16,000 yards, but is most effective against targets within 3,000 yards. For naval vessels, aerial attacks pose the greatest threat. This has proven true since the invention of the aircraft, but is even more critical thanks to powerful new anti-ship missiles and other aerial weapons. For this reason, many ships carry advanced aerial defense systems, including radar, missiles, and automated guns. One of the most critical of these is the Close-In Weapon System, or CIWS. This radar-guided Gatling gun system is capable of firing 20mm rounds at a rate of 4,500 rounds per minute. This creates a dense wall of fire, capable of disabling and destroying a wide range of threats. Codenamed Phalanx, the CIWS is fully automated, allowing it to provide rapid target detection and engagement. With its one-mile range, it is often capable of detecting and destroying a target before a human operator would have been able to identify the threat. Most importantly, it can be used against multiple targets, including aircraft, missiles, and drones. Most U.S. Navy warships are equipped with some form of Vertical Launch System, or VLS. These are weapon systems built into the deck of the vessel and are capable of firing surface-to-air missiles to intercept aircraft, drones, or even other missiles fired by the enemy. Most VLS designs use reloadable canisters or cells, which eliminates the need for traditional deck-mounted launchers. When tied to a combat system like Aegis, these missiles can be launched against multiple targets at once with minimal human involvement. Another key aspect of shipboard defense is RAMS, which is short for Rolling Airframe Missiles. These are more lightweight and far faster than their vertical launch counterparts. With models like the RIM-162 ESSM and RIM-166 being able to intercept their targets in a matter of seconds, between their speed, small size, and low altitude, they are nearly impossible for enemies to detect before it's too late. As the landscape of modern warfare continues to evolve, unmanned systems have become central to both offensive strategy and defensive security. From drones refueling fighter jets mid-air to unmanned surface vehicles hunting mines beneath the waves, these technologies extend human capability while minimizing risk. Yet, with innovation comes new threats, making shipboard defenses. From .5 caliber machine guns to radar-guided CIWS systems, more vital than ever. Whether in the sky, at sea, or below the surface, the integration of manned and unmanned technologies ensures that the U.S., Navy, and its allies remain agile, protected, and ready for any challenge that the future may bring. That's the end of this video. I hope you enjoyed it. Make sure to subscribe to this channel so you don't miss any of our new content. See you next time.