The American shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has completed three days of sea trials of the unmanned surface ship ROMULUS. This was reported by Army Recognition.
During the tests, the new device performed tasks autonomously with minimal human intervention, using the Hivemind artificial intelligence system from Shield AI in combination with the Odyssey control complex from HII. The use of AI allows ROMULUS to independently perform complex missions even in the event of GPS or communication failures, and the company plans to release a whole series of such autonomous surface vessels.
The ROMULUS 20 model was used in tests in the Virginia Beach area, while the ROMULUS 190 is currently under construction. The latter will be able to reach speeds of up to 25 knots (over 46 km/h), travel up to 2,500 nautical miles (approximately 4,630 km) and carry four 40-foot payload containers. The containers can accommodate reconnaissance equipment, electronic warfare systems, signal repeaters or even weapons.
Artificial intelligence systems are fully responsible for controlling the ship: movement, collision avoidance, navigation, diagnostics and other operations. AI can also autonomously collect intelligence data and plan missions. In addition to operating autonomously as a single device, ROMULUS is capable of operating as part of a group — in a swarm format.
