The Royal Netherlands Navy is actively testing autonomous systems off the coast of Den Helder, aiming to transform its operational structure within the next decade.
As reported by The Guardian, the five-week testing mission aims to push the operational limits of uncrewed maritime and aerial technologies.
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The initiative is spearheaded by Capt Sjoerd Feenstra, who leads the expertise center for unmanned systems.
"For the last year and a half we’ve been working to change our organisation," he says.
"In about 10 years there will be crewed platforms surrounded by a ring of uncrewed systems operating as autonomously as possible."
Uncrewed aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles are increasingly integrated into global armed forces, heavily influenced by recent international conflicts.
The Dutch military has pledged to utilize uncrewed systems for over half of its operations within five years, while the UK plans a £5bn expenditure on similar technologies.
The testing operations utilize the GeoSea vessel as a primary base to deploy Noa drones, Defender vessels, and a Lobster Robotics undersea mine mapper.
This "system of systems" approach allows researchers to swap different technology models seamlessly as advances occur.
Feenstra emphasizes that safety remains the primary driver behind this technological transition.
"The goal is to do as many things as possible with unmanned systems to keep people out of danger zones," says Feenstra.
"The work has got a lot more difficult, especially with the amount of information, speed and capacity demanded.
