UK to use Stiletto testbed craft for UAS capability demonstration

The UK is to sponsor a capability demonstration using the US Stiletto high-speed vessel testbed to identify unmanned aerial system (UAS) equipment and techniques to enhance and increase situational awareness during small boat operations.

Under the so-called Capability Demonstration 2, due to run off the US coast in April this year, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) will partner with the Stiletto Maritime Demonstration Program to explore emerging UAS technologies and enablers, including sensors, payloads, platforms, and auxiliary equipment.

Built by M Ship Co LLC, the M80 Stiletto is a composite-bodied M-hull prototype craft developed to test littoral warfare concepts for the US Department of Defense. The Stiletto Maritime Demonstration Program - funded by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Rapid Reaction Technology Office and managed by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Detachment Norfolk - conducted its first capability demonstration from 14-27 January for the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

For this demonstration activity, NECC assessed unmanned systems, solid-state radars, 360-degree awareness infrared sensors, full-motion video systems, and command-and-control displays.