Maritime 'target drones' used in counter-piracy training.

• Author: Jean, Grace V.
• Position: Maritime Security

* LONDON -- As pirates continue to use small boats to swarm and hijack cargo ships, naval forces increasingly will be employing unmanned systems to help train merchant seaman to fend off attackers.

Companies such as ASV Ltd., based in Chichester, U.K., are building "fast marine target drones" that can maneuver through the water to test the defensive skills of maritime security personnel aboard warships and merchant vessels.

The aluminum hulls come in two sizes, a 5-meter version and a 6.2-meter variant. Both systems are equipped with removable masts that house forward-looking adjustable video cameras. They travel at speeds of up to 30 to 35 knots, respectively, and can be controlled remotely up to 10 kilometers away, said Stephen Phillips, managing director. The boats offer radio and GPS feedback to a control system that can operate up to six boats at a time.

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"They can be made to be semi-autonomous," he told National Defense during an international defense and security technology exhibition here. "You can set up way points for them to navigate, but for target practice it's more useful to have them be remotely controlled."

The company has sold nine boats to the U.K. Ministry of Defence. Its Royal Navy employs six boats at a time for targeting practice during two-week long exercises. Sailors fire bullets at the vessels as they approach in "swarming" attacks. The boats are armored to withstand the damage. An optional onboard scoring system measures the distance of missed shots...