---
title: "The U.S. Navy Wants to Roll out Autonomous Killer Robot Ships"
description: "The U.S. navy is planning to add medium, and large unmanned surface combatants — military for warships — to accompany their manned ships."
date: "2019-01-16"
modified: "2019-01-16"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/us-navy-autonomous-killer-robot-ships"
categories:
  - "Robotics"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "Autonomous ships"
  - "china"
  - "military"
  - "Navy"
---

# The U.S. Navy Wants to Roll out Autonomous Killer Robot Ships

![The U.S. navy is planning to add medium, and large unmanned surface combatants — military for warships — to accompany their manned ships.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/us-navy-autonomous-killer-robot-ships.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: U.S. Military\</em\>*

## Unmanned Surface Combatants

*Defense News* [reports](<https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/01/15/the-us-navy-moves-toward-unleashing-killer-robot-ships-on-the-worlds-oceans/>) that the U.S. navy is planning to unleash unmanned surface combatants — military robot warships, basically — to accompany other boats that are controlled by a human crew.

The move may come in response to China and Russia's heavy investment in similar technologies that could put U.S. aircraft carriers at risk, according to *Defense News'* analysis. Naval superiority [is a priority](<https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/world/asia/china-navy-aircraft-carrier-pacific.html>) for the Chinese military — which the Pentagon wants to challenge with artificial intelligence and automation investments.

## Sea Hunters

Last year's naval National Defense Strategy — when it was [announced](<https://www.defensenews.com/breaking-news/2018/01/19/national-defense-strategy-released-with-clear-priority-stay-ahead-of-russia-and-china/>) at the beginning of 2018 — was focused on backing up existing aircraft carriers and bolstering peacekeeping efforts. The new focus differs: smaller surface combatants, many of which will be unmanned, and equipped with state-of-the-art sensors.

The idea is to overwhelm the enemy and make it difficult for them to track a large number of smaller ships. Having a larger number of autonomous ships will also make sensor data collection [more reliable](<https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a25907713/us-navy-drone-ship/>) and accurate.

"We want everything to be only as big as it needs to be. You make it smaller and more distributable, given all dollars being about equal," U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Director Ronald Boxall [told](<https://www.militarytimes.com/naval/2019/01/15/the-us-navy-moves-toward-unleashing-killer-robot-ships-on-the-worlds-oceans/>) *Defense News* in a December interview. "And when I look at the force, I think: ‘Where can we use unmanned so that I can push it to a smaller platform?'"

One such autonomous warship has already made headlines in the past: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Sea Hunter is a submarine-hunting warship that can operate without humans on board for 60 to 90 days straight. Details are becoming more sparse about the Sea Hunter since the Navy [recently classified](<http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2019/1/7/navy-lowers-veil-of-secrecy-over-new-unmanned-warship>) any information about its future.

https://youtu.be/FWQf1o1SJcQ

## iPhone Warships

The U.S. navy is also moving to update the way it builds warships, and how computers and sensors on board function. The Navy wants all modern warships to be built around a [single combat system](<https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/01/14/the-future-of-the-us-surface-fleet-one-combat-system-to-rule-them-all/>) that runs on every ship.

"For us to get faster, we either have to keep going with the model we had where we upgrade our flip phones, or we cross over the mentality to where it says: 'I don’t care what model of iPhone you have — 7 or X or whatever you have — it will still run Waze or whatever \[applications\] you are trying to run,” Boxall [told](<https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/01/14/the-future-of-the-us-surface-fleet-one-combat-system-to-rule-them-all/>) *Defense News*.

**READ MORE:** [US Navy moves toward unleashing killer robot ships on the world’s oceans](<https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/01/15/the-us-navy-moves-toward-unleashing-killer-robot-ships-on-the-worlds-oceans/>) \[*Defense News*\]

***More on autonomous ships: Meet The World's First Self-Driving Warship***

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)