This Is the Future of the US Navy

via gizmodo.com

Witness, the beginning of a new era: the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman. Soon, there will be no more Maverick or Ice Man. In a couple of decades, everything will be stealthy, autonomous or remote controlled war creatures, much more cost-effective than their expensive human-carrying counterparts. Not as romantic and epic, but cheaper to manufacture, cheaper to operate and no lost pilots' lives.

The eighth Nimitz-class supercarrier of the United States Navy is acting as the test bed for this unmanned airplane, with the crew training to operate it.

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The Amazing History and Figures of the First Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier in the World

via gizmodo.com

The USS Enterprise, the first nuclear aircraft carrier in the world, has been officially retired today at a ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia—special appearance by Captain Kirk included. Since her comissioning in November 1961, she has served under ten Commanders-in-Chief, including John F. Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.

The figures and the history of this mighty sea titan are impressive. Here you have them all...

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You Can Buy This $195 Million US Navy Stealth Ship for Just $100,000

via gizmodo.com

If I had $100,000 handy, I would bid for the Sea Shadow, the stealth ship that DARPA built for the US Navy in 1983. It's now for sale at GSA Auctions. The original price tag: the US Government paid $195 million to Lockheed Martin to build it. And you get a HMB-1 Mining Barge too in the package too.

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US Coasts Could Be Guarded by Unmanned Piranha Drone Boats

via gizmodo.com

UAV's are old hat nowadays—they've been overhead for nearly a decade. The next frontier in unmanned vehicles isn't in the air. It's on the waves. The Piranha Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) could revolutionize ocean-based military operations drones have done for the skies.

The Piranha USV prototype, developed by Zyvex Marine, is a 54-foot long drone boat that costs an estimated $2 million, and weighs approximately 8,000 pounds—significantly lighter than conventional boats of a similar size. The low weight allows the Piranha to carry 15,000 pounds of cargo, nearly double its own weight, over 2,500 nautical miles. The efficient vessel also sips fuel, consuming only 12 gallons an hour when cruising at 24 knots. A conventional boat would suck down 50 gallons an hour moving at the same speed.

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The Navy Built Its Own Private Indoor Desert and Jungle

via gizmodo.com

What do you do when your budget is slashed, but you still need to test out weapons of the future for fighting across deserts and jungles? Build your own desert and jungle. Artificial sandstorms and monsoons? Check.

Inside the Navy's super-teched-out, $17 million Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research (that's LASR, to you), foreign battlefields are miniaturized. The lab's Desert High Bay features specially-acquired sand to replicate an Afghani IED disposal—robot arms that will perhaps save lives in war's future participants. The super-flexible, explosive grappling and shoveling arm seen here is controlled PlayStation-style via remote operator, who's able to put the cyborg-grabber through the same rigors of the real desert. The one not inside a 50,000 square foot building in Washington, DC.

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US Navy's electromagnetic railgun hits testing milestone

via engadget.com

If there's one thing you want your multi-million dollar electromagnetic railgun to be, it's reliable, and the US Navy announced today that it's reached a key milestone towards that goal. It's now successfully fired its prototype gun 1,000 times, which translates to as many as 15 shots per week.

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The Navy's Robot Jet Fighter Goes for Its First Cruise

via gizmodo.com

UAV's are big, but they're not jet big—something the Navy's trying to correct with its X-47B, which aims to replace traditional fighters. Y'know, the ones with humans in them. Watch the drone killer stretch its wings a little.

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How the US Navy Is Making Its Virginia-Class Subs Even More Deadly

via gizmodo.com

The US Navy's fleet of heavily-armed SSGN subs will run through their nuclear fuel supplies by 2026. At that point, they must be replaced at a cost of $8 billion apiece. Problem is, $8 billion is roughly half of the Navy's annual ship production budget. So what's the Navy to do?

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