Watchkeeping

Marines Test Supply Drones Inspired by Narco Subs in Okinawa, North Carolina

Marines with Fight Logistics Battalion 31, thirty first Marine Expeditionary Unit, recovers an Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel throughout a cargo switch at Kin Crimson Coaching Space, Okinawa, Japan, Apr. 9, 2025. US Marine Corps Photograph

Marine Corps Fight Logistics Battalions in Japan and america have been using logistics provide drones impressed by drug-smuggling narco subs in latest workout routines and checks.

The Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel, also called Ledios’ Sea Specter, is an unmanned floor vessel designed to hold as much as 5 tons of provides out to distances of two,000 nautical miles. Its distinctive semi-submersible and low-to-the-water design mirrors comparable cartel vessels, a design philosophy that the Marine Corps eyed in its search to take care of contested logistics in opposition to peer adversaries.

Since January, three Marine logistics items have been deploying the Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel in a collection of checks and actions. Two items, the Fight Logistics Battalion 31 and the twelfth Littoral Logistics Battalion, are primarily based in Okinawa alongside the primary island chain. At the least one of many unmanned floor vessels was delivered to Okinawa final winter. Fight Logistics Battalion 8, a Camp Lejeune-based formation, additionally performed checks earlier this month.

“The prototypes we’ve delivered will assist create new disruptive logistics capabilities for the Marine Corps. Its low profile and lengthy vary are meant to assist the vessels obtain the next mission success price supporting dispersed Marine hearth items than standard strategies,” Dave Lewis, Leidos senior vice chairman, Sea Programs Enterprise Space, mentioned in a press launch on Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel’s participation on the Military-led Venture Convergence Capstone 4 train final yr.

These low profile unmanned floor vessels have been primarily designed to be a key provider of the service’s Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction Programs, an unmanned anti-ship missile launcher that employs two Naval Strike Missiles. An Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel can carry two missiles, sufficient for a full reload of NMESIS.

Typical aerial and maritime resupply could possibly be difficult within the distant littoral environments that the Marines plan to deploy to within the occasion of a battle with China within the Indo-Pacific area. Furthermore, the envisioned forward-deployed forces, akin to Marine Littoral Regiments, can be throughout the attain of quite a few air and missile threats, additional complicating provide chains. The twelfth Marine Littoral Regiment claimed that the semi-submersible drone boats have been “essential for offering sustainment for stand-in forces.”

“The ALPV enhances our capacity to stay agile and maintain our Marines within the combat, even when entry to standard provide strains is restricted,” mentioned Sgt. Michael Speis, a logistics specialist with twelfth Littoral Logistics Battalion, in a press launch.

The Military has additionally declared its curiosity in experimenting with drone boats in its Pacific-oriented maritime logistics efforts.


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Ryan

Ryan O'Neill is a maritime enthusiast and writer who has a passion for studying and writing about ships and the maritime industry in general. With a deep passion for the sea and all things nautical, Ryan has a plan to unite maritime professionals to share their knowledge and truly connect Sea 2 Shore.

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