Maritime Drone Operations

Unmanned surface vessels, shipborne aerial drones, and sea-based robotic platforms are used in naval force design, surveillance, rescue, logistics, shipping interdiction, offshore inspection, and coastal security missions. The issue covers maritime drone operations and systems, including launch and recovery, autonomy, communications, endurance, payloads, drone-control vessels, drone attacks on commercial shipping, tanker and cargo-vessel interdiction, maritime logistics disruption, drone-assisted rescue, uncrewed missile and sensing platforms, and integration with naval, coast guard, commercial, and infrastructure operations.

Maritime drones are becoming strategically important because they can monitor vast ocean areas, contest chokepoints, threaten ships and ports, protect offshore infrastructure, and extend naval and public-safety reach at lower cost than crewed vessels or aircraft. Their growth will continue to generate developments in military doctrine, maritime security, autonomous navigation, insurance and shipping risk, rescue operations, and coastal infrastructure defense.