Meet Britain’s new ship that will test autonomous and lethal technologies
LONDON — A Dutch company has delivered a test bed vessel to the British Royal Navy to help the service rapidly experiment and field the latest in autonomous and lethality technologies.
The 270-ton vessel arrived at the Portsmouth naval base in southern England earlier this week, ahead of its official acceptance on July 29 for use by NavyX, the service’s experimental technology unit formed to lead the innovative work.
Damen Shipyards supplied the vessel less than a year after it was ordered. The ship is a modified 42-meter (138-foot) fast, crew-supply platform known as the Damen FCS 4008. This is