U.S. Navy Tests Out Unmanned Boats for Recovering Downed Pilots

The U.S. Navy is using the annual BALTOPS exercise in the Baltic to test out new applications for unmanned systems, including a novel idea to use an unmanned boat for saving downed pilots who end up in the water. The "Joint Personnel Recovery" scenario usually involves sending a manned force to find and rescue the pilot from a hostile area. Instead, 6th Fleet personnel tested out the idea of sending a USV out to the distressed pilot instead, recovering them and bringing them back to safety – all unmanned, and remotely controlled from a nearby vessel. It may be the first time that this particular application for a USV has been tested.