US Navy dispatches new drone ships to Japan to deter China

Having been building up its drone fleet capacity and capabilities for years now the US Navy has dispatched two Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) or drone ships to its base in Japan as it looks to deter China from exerting its influence in the northwestern Pacific region, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. This signals a shift in the usage of drone ships in naval combat paving the way for their increased usage in the near future.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or aerial drones went through a similar transition period becoming critical components of modern-day warfare. More recently, the Russian aggression in Ukraine was countered by the use of aerial drones.

Improvements in technology have also meant that USVs can work more autonomously as compared to aerial drones introduced more than two decades ago. As the US Navy prepares for the future, it is well aware of China’s superior shipbuilding capabilities which has helped it amass 425 active warships as of August this year. To counter, the Chinese threat, the US is looking at USVs to expand its presence at sea.

According to the SCMP report, the US Navy is looking at growing its fleet size to 523 ships over the next two decades and expects 150 of these ships to be USVs. Two such USVs, Mariner and Ranger, belonging to the US Third Fleet were dispatched from California last month to Yosusaka, Japan, the headquarters of the US Seventh Fleet.

This is the first time, the US drone ships have been sent so far away from US shores and were accompanied by Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup. The USVs are armed with the US Navy’s Standard Missile-6, which can defend from aerial attacks and terminal ballistic missiles, while also performing strike functions.

Before arriving in Japan, the two USVs took part in rehearsals alongside smaller US Navy USVs Hunter and Sea Hawk at Pearl Harbour, the report added.

The US move to introduce drone ships in the region is seen by experts as a way to deter China from aggression in Taiwan. China has made it clear that the self-ruled island is an integral part of its territory and it will use its military capabilities, if required, to enforce its authority.

Western nations do not recognize Taiwan as an independent country but are opposed to the region being taken by force and intend to support it if it requires defense and the drone ships and naval presence are to deter China from making such a move.

On its part, China also plans to build an Unmanned Combat Surface Vessel (UCSV) with a range of 4,000 nautical miles (7,410 km), a prototype of which was released earlier this year, the SCMP report said.

Military experts also suggest that Taiwan could strengthen its defense with explosive USVs which need satellite-based navigation. Although Taiwan does not have its own satellite network to deploy them, their operation could be supported by third-party providers, which already work with the US Navy.

More autonomous vehicles would need less satellite-based communication going forward, however, the stage is set for a drone versus drone combat at sea if the situation were to flare up in the northwestern Pacific in the future.