Manufacturing line/War ships/Large unmanned surface vessel
Autonomous · War ships

Large unmanned surface vessel

Thirty-two launch cells that sail with the fleet for thirty days, with no one aboard.

Phase 7 · early branchConcept design
Displacement
≈ 2,000 t
Power
4 × 3 MW diesel-electric
Fuel burn
≈ 0.37 t / hr at 14 kn
Crew aboard
0
I · Blueprint
Side elevation, live systems
DWL85 m length overalldraft3.8 m21.5 mAA0102030417050607080910111213161415181920Positions are to design scale. Beam 13.5 m, draft 3.8 m.Generator room B, the second set in each room and the starboard shaft sit behind the drawn items.
SECTION A–AAT THE BATTERY ROOM, LOOKING FORWARDPLAN · MAIN DECKDASHED: HULL AT WATERLINEDWLlauncher (typ.)fuel, double bottomDC bus PDC bus Sbeam 13.5 m2.9 m05071113192085 m13.5 m05061410168 × 40 ft slots · 4 cells per launcher32 cells when all 8 carry launchers
01Propellers × 2, fixed pitchPropulsion
02Rudders & steering gearPropulsion
03Propulsion motors, 2 × 5 MWPropulsion
04Shaft lines & thrust bearingsPropulsion
05Mission deck — 8 × 40 ft slotsMission deck
06Containerized launchers, 4 cells eachMission deck
07Payload power & data socketsMission deck
08Generator room A — 2 × 3 MW setsPower
09Generator room B — 2 × 3 MW setsPower
10Exhaust uptakes & air intakesPower
11Battery room — 2 MWhPower
12DC switchboard & convertersPower
13Fuel tanks, double bottom — 300 tPower
14Sensor mast — radars, cameras, lidarStructure
15Autonomy core, below the mastStructure
16Fuel receiver for replenishment at seaPower
17Bow thrusterPropulsion
18Passive acoustic arrayStructure
19Watertight bulkheads × 9Structure
20Steel hull, no human spacesStructure
II · Power & drivetrain

Four generators, two shafts, one bus.

Generator sets sit amidships under their uptakes; motors sit aft beside the shafts. Cable joins them, so any set feeds either propeller, and a lost room costs speed, not the ship.

Diesel-electric plant — rotating view
Four 3 MW generator sets in two rooms feed a 1.5 kV DC bus in two halves. A 2 MWh battery holds the bus and runs the ship silent. Two 5 MW permanent-magnet motors turn the propellers at right; the switchboard and battery stand between the rooms and the motors.
01Generator sets — 4 × 3 MW, 900 rpm, naval distillate
02Turbochargers & exhaust risers
03Switchboard & converters — 1.5 kV DC, two halves
04Battery — 2 MWh, 2 MW
05Propulsion motors — 2 × 5 MW permanent-magnet, 250 rpm
06Thrust bearings & shafts
07Propellers — 2 × 5 blades, fixed pitch, 2.8 m
08Cruise — 16 kn on one set, 24 kn on four
Propulsion motor rotor — 16 magnet poles
Power plant · IC design4 × 3 MW diesel generator sets
Shaft output2 × 5 MW at 250 rpm, 191 kN·m each
FuelNaval distillate
Consumption≈ 0.37 t / hr at 14 kn
Metal content≈ 80% of lightship
Naked drivetrain — energy to motion
III · Armament

Thirty-two cells, no one aboard.

Eight containerized launchers carry thirty-two strike-length cells: an extra magazine for the fleet. Each launcher stands upright to fire on the controlling ship’s order, and a person decides every release. A remote gun and a 60 kW-class laser, both IC design, hold the close-in layer. Choose a system to watch it fire, or open the magazines to see how each is fed.

All systems stowed
32 cells in 8 Mk 70-type containers · 1 × Mk 38 25 mm (IC design) · 60 kW-class laser (IC design) · weapons release stays with a person
Launchers and mounts
Launcher or mountCountCells or roundsRange classReload
Mk 70-type containerized launcher, 40-ft, 4 strike-length cells8 (2 along, 4 abreast)4 cells each, 32 in all; 1 missile per cellLong to very longWhole container swapped by crane in port; hours, not days (planning figure)
Mk 38 25 mm remote weapon station (IC design)1Ready box on the mount; count not publishedVery shortBy hand in port, a fresh box
60 kW-class laser (IC design)1No ammunition: about 200 kW in while firing, 1.7% of the 12 MW plantA few km in clear airOwn buffer battery, recharged from the 1.5 kV DC bus
Compatible munitions
Air defense
SM-6, Standard Missile family, extended range: fired from an uncrewed vessel (revealed September 2021)In service
Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, four per cell: not yet fired from a containerIn development
Strike
Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile: planned payload (fired from the Army’s land launcher of the same cell family)In development
Containerized hypersonic missile (company program; sea launch planned 2027)In development
Anti-ship
SM-6 in its anti-surface role: fired from the same container on a crewed ship, 2023In service
Maritime Strike Tomahawk: planned payloadIn development
Naval Strike Missile in a deck container: not yet on an uncrewed vesselIn development
Anti-sub, torpedo and mines
Heavyweight torpedo carried by an uncrewed vessel (Navy concept, 2025); no mines todayIn development
Guns and counter-drone
Mk 38 25 mm remote gun: remote guns already fire from uncrewed boats in the Black SeaIn development
60 kW-class laser: in service on one destroyer; a containerized laser fired from a carrier deck in 2025In development
High-power microwave against drones and boat motorsIn development
Systems are named by US Navy designation. IC design marks fits no uncrewed vessel carries today. Sequences follow public descriptions at animation pace; missile and boat speeds are slowed. Sources and checks are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
IV · How it is put together

Steel blocks, skids lowered in, no crew spaces.

Steel blocks are welded and joined into one hull with nine bulkheads and no accommodation; generator skids, motors and the battery are lowered in as tested units, then the mast, autonomy core and container slots. A comparable uncrewed ship went from construction start to launch in under a year.

Steel blocks are welded, the double bottom and fuel tanks first.
Blocks are joined into one hull with nine watertight bulkheads.
Four tested generator sets, two motors and the battery are lowered in.
The mast and autonomy core go on; container slots get power sockets.
The hull is launched and runs its trials with no one aboard.
I
Steel blocks, double bottom first
II
Blocks joined, nine bulkheads
III
Generator modules, motors, battery in
IV
Mast, core and mission deck
V
Launch and uncrewed sea trials
V · Specification

Design specification.

Design values for the large unmanned surface vessel. Every figure matches the drawings, the power unit and the compute panel on this page.

Length overall
85 m
Beam
13.5 m
Draft
3.8 m
Displacement
≈ 2,000 t
Payload
8 × 40 ft slots, 290 t
Launch cells
32 in 8 launchers
Power plant
4 × 3 MW diesel generator sets
Energy storage
Battery, 2 MWh
Propulsion
2 × 5 MW motors, 2 propellers
Speed
24 kn top · 16 kn on one set
Range
10,000 nm at 14 kn
Fuel aboard
≈ 300 t naval distillate
Consumption
≈ 0.37 t / hr at 14 kn
Unattended at sea
30 days
Metal content
≈ 80% of lightship
Crew aboard
0
Onboard compute
Two AI modules; combat systems stay separate
Modules2 heavy AI modules (navigation & fleet station-keeping; perception & acoustics) + 2 certified safety controllers; combat systems are separate
CPU32 cores (2 × 16) + 4 lockstep real-time cores per module
AI throughput10,000 TOPS (2 × 5,000, INT8 / FP4 sparse)
Memory2 × 128 GB LPDDR6, 600 GB/s per module
Power draw0.2 kW compute; ≈ 0.85 kW with 16 cameras, 2 lidars, 2 radars and the acoustic array — 0.007% of the 12 MW plant
Process node2 nm-class SoCs; safety controllers on a mature 16 nm node, 15-year supply; compute is a line-replaceable unit, swapped at mid-life
RedundancyEvery sensor is wired to both modules. Each module is primary for its zone and hot standby for the other. A software fault can never drive the vessel outside its certified safe envelope.
Safety channel2 × SIL 3 controllers with their own sensors: shaft encoders, rudder-angle sensors, generator overspeed and oil-pressure switches, fire and flood detectors, and a safety-rated collision radar
Sensors16 cameras (10 visible 4K, 6 thermal) on automotive Ethernet through camera aggregation switches; 2 lidars, 2 navigation radars, AIS, passive acoustic array, 800 plant sensors
DrivesMotor drives close their own current loop at 1 kHz; the modules send speed and rudder set-points at 10 Hz
LinkLine-of-sight mesh to the controlling ship, satellite to shore; the plan is aboard, so a lost link changes nothing
The vessel carries no berths, no galley and no life support: the hull is machinery, fuel and payload. Launchers answer to the controlling ship’s combat system over their own link, never to these modules. Weapons release is a human decision.
Today vs IC
Large unmanned surface vessels today beside the IC design
Today · large USV test shipsIC design
Size classRequirement of 200–300 ft, 1,000–2,000 t and 16–32 cells; no hull bought against it85 m (279 ft), ≈ 2,000 t, 32 cells
HullConverted 59 m offshore supply boats; one 55 m prototype built for autonomy85 m steel hull built for autonomy from the keel up
CrewAbout 6 riders aboard the test ships; the prototype has no crew accessNo one aboard and no human spaces
Payload4 × 40 ft or 8 × 20 ft aft plus 2 × 20 ft forward; a 4-cell containerized launcher fired from one test ship8 × 40 ft slots, 290 t; 32 cells with 8 launchers
Power3 diesel generators on the largest test ship; drive train not published4 × 3 MW generator sets, 2 MWh battery, 2 × 5 MW motors
Endurance4,421 nm transit, 98% autonomous10,000 nm at 14 kn; 30 days unattended
The IC column is the design shown on this page. Sources for the Today column are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
Runs on The Brain
The Brain plans the fleet’s movements with this vessel in them, mirrors it in the fleet’s digital twin, and re-plans the moment a link or a vessel drops.
See how it works →
Continue
Medium unmanned surface vessel →← Amphibious assault ship