The Navy’s 5th Fleet group that focuses on unmanned testing conducted another iteration of unmanned tests, this time with remote launch of a loitering munitions and the take-off and landing of another drone off an unmanned surface vessel (USV).
On Nov. 5, Task Group (TG) 59.1 conducted Digital Talon 3.0, the third iteration of this type of exercise in the fleet’s area of operations in the Middle East.
The Navy said this time they tested the electronic and mechanical effectiveness of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS), the capabilities of over-the-horizon communications between unmanned systems and testing autonomous launch and recovery of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) off of a USV.
“Under Digital Talon 3.0 we were able to test the remote launch of a loitering munition, and vertical take-off and landing of UAVs from a USV. These evolutions resulted in the successful remote launch of a loitering munition at sea,” Lt. Luis Echeverria, commanding officer of TG 59.1, said in a statement.
Other participants this time around included the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator (MCM-6) and the U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast response cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) as well as staff from the commander of Special Operations Forces Central Command.
The service did not initially disclose the specific unmanned systems used in this exercise, but a spokesperson for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command told Defense Daily the loitering munition was an AeroVironment Switchblade 600 and all the unmanned platforms were provided via contractor-owned, contractor-operated
platforms.
The first Digital Talon Exercise occurred in October 2023, pairing unmanned platforms with crewed ships for manned-unmanned teaming to identify and target simulated hostile sea forces. That time the Navy fired the Miniature Aerial Missile System from a MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV (Defense Daily, Nov. 2, 2023).
Digital Talon 2.0 then followed a month later with manned-unmanned teaming of the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) operating with three USVs to create a mesh network as well as more firings from USVs (Defense Daily, Dec. 1, 2023).
TG 59.1’s executive officer, Royal Navy Lt. Samuel Hendy, argued the latest edition focused more on advanced tactics.
“As with all pioneering ventures and first-of-its-kind feats, there are plenty of challenges to overcome, lessons to be analyzed, but we are a learning organization and it all combines to further benefit 5th Fleet’s understanding and employment of this state-of-the-art warfare,” Hendy said.
“If there is one thing we can take away, Digital Talon 3.0 affirms that the U.S. Navy, as well as her partner nations, remains at the forefront of cutting-edge unmanned system integration and deployment,’ he continued.
The Navy first established Task Group 59.1 in January. The larger Tasks Force 59 delegated a subset of the unmanned testing work for 59.1 to focus more on tests for operational deployment of unmanned systems (Defense Daily, Jan. 17)
The Navy describes Task Group 59.1 as testing industry solutions and focusing on the operational deployment of unmanned systems teamed with manned operators. The parent Task Force 59 integrates unmanned systems and artificial intelligence with maritime operations in the 5th Fleet area of operations.
The Navy said TF 59 has tested, upgraded, and operated with more than 23 different unmanned systems.