Expanding its presence in the Pacific Ocean. The US uses unmanned ships near China for the first time
The United States sent two unmanned ships to the coastal waters of Japan, the first time that American drones of this type have been used near China.
Journalists, citing a statement from the US Navy, write that the US unmanned ships Ranger and Mariner arrived on September 18 in the Japanese port city of Yokosuka “as part of a planned visit to the port during the Integrated Battle Problem exercise.”
“By expanding our presence in the Pacific and increasing the fleet’s situational awareness and lethality, we are better positioned to make better decisions at all levels of leadership,” said Rear Admiral Blake Converse, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Navy Commander Jeremiah Daley said aboard the Ranger that unmanned ships could likely replace large ships that hunt enemy targets.
Currently, unmanned ships do not carry missiles, the publication notes, but some of them, such as the Ranger, can do so: during tests in 2021, it fired an SM-6 anti-aircraft missile.
Before arriving in Japan, Ranger and Mariner also took part in exercises in the Pacific Ocean with the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and other ships.
