Spartan Scout

The Spartan Scout is a crewless surface watercraft, also known as an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developed by the United States in 2001, and first demonstrated in late 2003. The craft, a rigid hull inflatable boat, weighs two tons, and is seven meters (23 ft) in length. It has a .50 caliber machine gun, as well as various sensors such as electro-optical and infrared surveillance and surface search radar. The Spartan is capable of carrying a 3,000 lb payload. According to a press release from the US Navy, the Spartan Scout will also come in a 11-meter version, capable of carrying a 5,000 lb payload.

Although a two-man boat crew is needed to deploy the Spartan Scout, once deployed it is capable of working autonomously or semi-autonomously. During its demonstration deployment, the Spartan Scout was configured for surface surveillance and force protection, although it can potentially be configured for more complex missions.

ources

Bosworth, Michael L. "Crewless surface watercraft" "McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology 2006".

[http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=10964 Navy Newstand story from 12/17/2003] , (accessed 1/26/2006)

[http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=11100 Updated Navy Newstand story, also 12/17/2003] , (accessed 1/26/2006).