FEATURE SUPPLICATION AND CLASSIFICATION MARITIME UNMANNED SURFACE VESSELS IN UKRAINE NAVAL FORCES

Abstract

The work examines the relevance of the issue of the comprehensive development of the class of unmanned surface vehicles for the implementation of civil and military tasks at sea. The list of tasks that can be most successfully solved using unmanned surface vehicles has been determined. The most typical and relevant tasks at sea are various monitoring activities, search operations in accident areas, support of industrial activities, compilation and refinement of models of the sea floor relief, coastline, and so on. The circle of relevant military tasks has also been outlined, namely reconnaissance, damage to the enemy, protection of coastal areas, setup of mines, mine countermeasures, delivery of personnel and cargo to designated areas, and so on. An analysis of the characteristics of existing unmanned surface vehicles of the leading countries of the world has been conducted, as well as the possibilities of their application for the performance of a wide range of civil tasks at sea and features of their use as vehicles for carrying out military missions. It has been determined that in the process of further development, the main priorities are seen as increasing autonomy, equipping unmanned surface vehicles with modular executive systems, introducing artificial intelligence for direct control of unmanned vehicles and weapons, increasing the system's survivability, improving the technical characteristics of communication channels for information and task exchange. Currently, the most relevant channel for control is considered to be the satellite communication channel, as it is distance-independent, resistant to jamming and interception, and does not require significant energy consumption. Proposals have been made regarding the distribution of unmanned surface vehicles into classes, namely small, medium, and large, which cover all existing types of unmanned surface vehicles. The main terms and definitions of unmanned surface vehicles that are using in NATO countries have also been analyzed, and the main terms and definitions in this direction have been proposed. The purpose of the article is to make proposals for the development of unmanned surface vehicles and to identify promising areas for their use in solving various tasks at sea.