Recent naval warfare discussions increasingly focus on the effectiveness of drones against traditional manned warships. These unmanned platforms include small one-way attack surface vessels (USV), one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), high-altitude and medium-altitude long-endurance platforms (HALE and MALE drones), and unmanned underwater vessels (UUV). A careful analysis finds that geography and the nature of the maritime battlefield have a substantial impact on the potency of naval drones. While short-range drones may work well in confined littoral environments, like the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf, they are intrinsically hampered when used against large well-defended destroyers and carriers in a blue water context. Limitations in communication systems also affect the utility of the current generation of submarine drones. All told, we show that unmanned naval platforms ten

Source: Drones in Naval Warfare: Separating Capabilities From Hype