Order Code RS21294
Updated July 26, 2006
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Unmanned Vehicles for U.S. Naval Forces:
Background and Issues for Congress
Ronald O’Rourke
Specialist in National Defense
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Summary
Unmanned vehicles (UVs) are viewed as a key element of the effort to transform
U.S. military forces. The Department of the Navy may eventually acquire every major
kind of UV. Navy and Marine Corps UV programs raise several potential issues for
Congress. This report will be updated as events warrant.
Background
Introduction. Unmanned vehicles (UVs) are viewed as a key component of U.S.
defense transformation.1 Perhaps uniquely among the military departments, the
Department of the Navy (DON), which includes the Navy and Marine Corps, may
eventually acquire every major kind of UV, including unmanned air vehicles (UAVs),2
unmanned air combat vehicles (or UCAVs, which are UAVs armed with weapons),
unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), and
unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).
Section 220 of the FY2001 defense authorization act (H.R. 4205/P.L. 106-398 of
October 30, 2000) states, “It shall be a goal of the Armed Forces to achieve the fielding
of unmanned, remotely controlled technology such that — (1) by 2010, one-third of the
aircraft in the operational deep strike force aircraft fleet are unmanned; and (2) by 2015,
one-third of the operational ground combat vehicles are unmanned.”
1 For more on defense transformation and naval transformation, see CRS Report RL32238,
Defense Transformation: Background and Oversight Issues for Congress, by Ronald O’Rourke,
and CRS Report RS20851, Naval Transformation: Background and Issues for Congress, by
Ronald O’Rourke.
2 For more on UAVs, see CRS Report RL31872, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Background and
Issues for Congress, by Harlan Geer and Christopher Bolkcom.
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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CRS-2
A 2005 report by the Naval Studies Board (NSB) recommended that the Navy and
Marine Corps should accelerate the introduction of UAVs, and UUVs, UGVs; the report
made several additional recommendations concerning DON UV efforts.3
Naval UAV and UCAV Programs. DON plans call for acquiring UAVs and
UCAVs for three primary mission areas: (1) long-dwell, standoff ISR operations; (2)
penetrating surveillance/suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD)/strike operations; and
(3) tactical surveillance and targeting operations.
Long-dwell, Standoff ISR. The initial phase of DON’s effort in this mission area
was the procurement in FY2003 and FY2004 of two long-range Global Hawk UAVs to
conduct experiments for developing payload concepts and concepts of operations. The
next phase is called the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV. The Navy
wants to procure 110 BAMS UAVs. Potential competitors include the Global Hawk and
the Mariner (a maritime version of the Predator B UAV).4 The Navy reportedly plans to
issue a request for proposals (RFP) for the BAMS program in FY2007 and to award a
contract for the program in the final quarter of FY2007. The Navy’s FY2007-FY2011
aircraft procurement plan calls for procuring the first four BAMS UAVs in FY2011. The
first BAMSs are expected to enter service in 2013.5
Penetrating Surveillance/SEAD/Strike. DON’s work in this mission area
originally focused on developing a stealthy, autonomous, carrier-based Navy UCAV
(UCAV-N). UCAV-N’s initial mission focus was to be penetrating surveillance; the
SEAD and strike missions would follow. The UCAV-N program was initiated in
conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and was
structured to follow the Air Force’s UCAV program so as to take maximum advantage
of its technologies. In December 2002, the Department of Defense (DOD) decided to
merge the Air Force and Navy UCAV programs into a Joint Unmanned Combat Air
System (J-UCAS) program. In October 2005, management of the J-UCAS program was
transferred from DARPA, which had managed the program since October 2003, to a joint
Air-Force Navy office. In February 2006, DOD announced that it was restructuring the
J-UCAS program into a Navy-oriented UCAV program. The Navy’s proposed FY2007
budget includes $239 million in research and development funding for this restructured
Navy UCAV program; details about the program are being defined.6
3 National Research Council, Naval Studies Board, Autonomous Vehicles In Support Of Naval
Operations. Washington, The National Academies Press, 2005. 256 pp.
4 For additional discussion, see Stephen Trimble, “BAMS Candidates Prepare For Early
Competition,” Jane’s Defence Weekly, June 14, 2006: 5.
5 See also Jefferson Morris, “Navy Warns Industry BAMS Must Stay On Cost, Schedule,”
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, May 18, 2006; “Navy Details Huge Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle Program,” Congress Daily, May 18, 2006; Jason Ma, “Navy Expects BAMS UAV
Solicitation In FY-07, Contract Late In FY-07,” Inside the Navy, Feb. 6, 2006.
6 John M. Doyle, “If Navy Successful, AF Could Revisit J-UCAS Program,” Aerospace Daily
& Defense Report, March 16, 2006; David A, Fulghum and Amy Butler, “Supposedly Dead J-
UCAS Spawns New Designs,” Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, March 23, 2006; John M.
Doyle, “NAVAIR UAV Chief Say New Strategy Needed For Joint Development,” Aerospace
Daily & Defense Report, Apr. 19, 2006.

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Tactical Surveillance and Targeting. The Navy is procuring Vertical Tactical
UAVs (VTUAVs) that take off and land vertically from Navy surface combatants or other
ships. The Navy’s main VTUAV effort is the Fire Scout UAV, which is an unmanned
helicopter. As part of its FY2003 budget request, the Navy announced that it would to
stop the Fire Scout program after completing the engineering and manufacturing
development (EMD) phase and not put the Fire Scout into series production. The Navy
later reversed itself and announced that the Fire Scout would be used by its new Littoral
Combat Ships (LCS).7 Five Fire Scouts were procured in FY2006. The Navy’s FY2007-
FY2011 aircraft procurement plan calls for procuring four in FY2007, seven in FY2008,
11 each in FY2009 and FY2010, and 10 in FY2011. The Navy and Army are in the
process of arming the Fire Scout. The Navy is also pursuing the Coastal Battlefield
Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) system, which is a UAV and a ground
processing system for conducting surveillance of mine fields, obstacles, and camouflaged
defenses in both the surf zone and inland areas.
The Pioneer UAV was first deployed by the Navy and Marine Corps in 1986. The
Marine Corps absorbed the Navy’s 10 Pioneers, consolidating them with the Marine
Corps’ own fleet of 37, and has proposed upgrading the capabilities of the consolidated
Pioneer fleet to support operations at ranges of more than 50 miles. The Marine Corps
views the Eagle Eye VTUAV, currently being developed by the Coast Guard as part of
its Deepwater acquisition program,8 “as the best, near term UAV solution until a future
Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VUAV) is developed.... Eagle Eye will fill capabilities
gaps between Pioneer’s sundown and the introduction of a future VUAV system. [Eagle
Eye’s] IOC [initial operational capability] is planned for FY2009.”9 The Marine Corps
is conducting an analysis of alternatives (AOA) for a longer-term replacement for the
Pioneer.
Marine Corps tactical surveillance and targeting UAV programs include the Silver
Fox UAV, a small UAV with an 8-foot wingspan that Marines (and Navy special
operations forces) have used in Iraq; the Dragon Eye UAV, which is the size of a
hobbyist’s model airplane; and the Dragon Warrior UAV, a small unmanned helicopter
now in development that is considerably larger than Dragon Eye and would conduct
missions at ranges of up to 50 miles. Reportedly, Marines using Dragon Eyes in Iraq have
found the system very helpful, prompting the Marine Corps to plan for the procurement
of hundreds more. The Marine Corps is reportedly revisiting the idea of acquiring a
UAV that would bridge the gap between the service’s larger Pioneers and its smaller
Dragon Eyes.10 The Navy and Marine Corps are currently using the Scan Eagle UAV in
7 For more on the LCS program, see CRS Report RS21305, Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS):
Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald O’Rourke and CRS Report RL32109, Navy
DDG-1000 (DD(X)), CG(X), and LCS Ship Acquisition Programs: Oversight Issues and Options
for Congress, by Ronald O’Rourke.
8 For more on the Deepwater program, see CRS Report RS21019, Coast Guard Deepwater
Program: Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald O’Rourke.
9 Department of the Navy, Naval Aviation Vision 2020, Washington, 2005, p. 43.
10 Aarti Shah, “Marine Corps Revisits Idea Of Second-Tier Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,” Inside
the Navy, Apr. 11, 2005.

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the Iraq theater.11 In addition to the previously mentioned $239 million in research and
development funding for the restructured Navy UCAV program, the Navy’s proposed
FY2007 budget includes a total of $142 million in research and development funding for
other UAVs.
Naval USV Programs. The Navy reportedly was to complete a new USV master
plan by June 2006.12 The Navy’s Spartan Scout USV program uses an unmanned, 23-
or 36-foot boat capable of semi-autonomous operations that can be launched from surface
ship or shore. The craft can be equipped with modular payload packages for mine
warfare, ISR/force protection, port protection, precision strike against surface and land
targets, and possibly antisubmarine warfare (ASW). The Navy accelerated deployment
of Spartan; the first system was deployed in October 2003.13 The Lockheed Martin
Remote Minehunting System (RMS) is a high-endurance, semi-submersible vehicle that
tows a submerged mine-detection and -classification sensor suite. The Navy originally
envisioned procuring at least 12 systems for use on at least 12 DDG-51-class Aegis
destroyers, but in FY2003 reduced the program to 6 systems for 6 DDG-51s. Additional
RMSs are now to be deployed from LCSs. The Office of Naval Research (ONR)
reportedly is developing two USV prototypes as future options for a common USV or
family of USVs.14
Naval UUV Programs. The Navy reportedly is accelerating its sea trials of new
UUVs.15 On January 21, 2005, the Navy released a new UUV master plan that replaced
one issued in 2000. The new plan sets forth nine high-priority missions for Navy UUVs:
(1) ISR, (2) mine countermeasures (MCM), (3) anti-submarine warfare (ASW), (4)
inspection/identification, (5) oceanography, (6) communication/ navigation network nodes
(CN3), (7) payload delivery, (8) information operations, and (9) time-critical strike
operations. A key purpose of the new master plan is to help the Navy organize and
consolidate its various UUV efforts, which in late 2004 reportedly included 70 vehicles
of different lengths, widths, and configurations. The new master plan, which stresses the
need for commonality, modularity, and open-architecture designs for Navy UUVs,
organizes Navy UUVs into four broad categories:
! Man-portabable UUVs with diameters of 3 to 9 inches and weights of
25 to 100 pounds, for use in special-purpose ISR, expendable CN3, very-
shallow-water MCM, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD);
! Lightweight vehicles with 12.75-inch diameters and weights of up to
500 pounds (the same as lightweight Navy torpedoes), for use in harbor
11 For more on Marine Corps UAV programs, see Glenn W. Goodman, “Three Tiers,” Seapower,
July 2006: 18-20.
12 Jefferson Morris, “Navy To Deliver Master Plan For Unmanned Surface Vehicles In June,”
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, February 10, 2006: 2.
13 For more on Spartan and other USVs, see Richard R. Burgess, “A New Generation,” Seapower,
July 2006: 26-29.
14 Jason Ma, “ONR Developing Two ‘Unmanned Sea Surface Vehicle’ Prototypes,” Inside the
Navy, July 26, 2004.
15 “Navy Accelerating Tests Of Unmanned Submersibles,” Aerospace Daily & Defense Report,
January 30, 2006.

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ISR, special oceanography, mobile CN3, network attack, and MCM area
reconnaissance;
! Heavyweight vehicles with 21-inch diameters and weights up to 3,000
pounds (the same as heavyweight Navy torpedoes), for use in tactical
ISR, oceanography, MCM, clandestine reconnaissance, and decoys; and
! Large vehicles with diameters of 36 to 72 inches and weights of up to
20,000 pounds, for use in persistent ISR, ASW, long-range
oceanography, mine warfare, special operations, EOD, and time-critical
strike operations.16
The submarine fleet has a single Near-Term Mine Reconnaissance System
(NMRS). The system, which includes two UUVs linked to the submarine by fiber-optic
cable, is deployed through the submarine’s torpedo tubes and gives the submarine fleet
an initial, limited mine-detection and -classification capability. The Long-Term Mine
Reconnaissance System (LMRS), also launched from the submarine’s torpedo tubes,
is an autonomous UUV that uses acoustic and radio-frequency links rather than a fiber-
optic link. As part of its FY2003 defense budget, DOD accelerated to FY2003 the start
of a program to develop a next-generation, fully autonomous Mission-Reconfigurable
UUV (MRUUV), which would be launched from submarines or surface ships and carry
array of sensor payloads for performing a variety of information-gathering missions.
Other Navy UUV projects have included the Advanced Development UUV (ADUUV),
the large-diameter UUV (LDUUV), Remus (Remote Environmental Measuring Units),17
BPAUV (Battlespace Preparation Autonomous Underwater Vehicle), and Manta. The
ADUUV is a prototype vehicle developed as a risk-reduction effort. The large-diameter
UUV could be developed using lessons learned from Navy experiments deploying the 38-
inch-diameter Seahorse UUV from Trident submarine ballistic missile tubes. Remus is
a small UUV light enough to be carried by two people that can be launched by hand from
boat or shore to survey a local port or harbor area for mines and other hazards. BPAUV
is considerably larger than Remus and can survey a larger area. Manta, being developed
by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), is a more futuristic, follow-on to the
MRUUV that would be armed with torpedoes or other weapons and attached to the
outside of a submarine hull.18
Naval UGV Programs. The Marine Corps Gladiator is a radio-controlled,
armored UGV that can carry a variety of modular payloads for missions such as
reconnaissance, search, and target acquisition (RSTA), obstacle breaching, direct lethal
16 Christopher P. Cavas, “U.S. Navy Refines UUV Roles, Missions,” Defense News, Jan. 31,
2005, p. 14; Aarti Shah, “Updated UUV Master Plan Categorizes Vehicles Into Four Groups,”
Jan. 31, 2005; Aarti Shah, “Navy Updates UUV Master Plan To Focus On Four Key Categories,”
Inside the Navy, Oct. 18, 2004; Keith Jacobs, “U.S. Navy Master Plan For UUV Development,”
Naval Forces, No. 3, 2005: 96, 98-102.
17 “Navy Accelerating Tests Of Unmanned Submersibles,” op cit, states that the Navy is
accelerating in particular the testing of REMUS for shallow-water mine countermeasures
missions.
18 For additional discussion of UUV programs, see Richard Scott, “In Harm’s Way,” Jane’s
Defence Weekly, June 21, 2006: 22-24, 26-27; Glenn W. Goodman, “Breakthrough,” Seapower,
May 2006: 14-16; and Massimo Annati, “UUVs and AUVs Come of Age,” Military Technology,
No. 6, 2005: 72, 74-76, 78-80.

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machine-gun fire on enemy forces, crowd control (and self-protection) using non-lethal
weapons; delivery of obscurants (e.g., smoke); and nuclear/biological/chemical (NBC)
agent reconnaissance. On February 10, 2005, DOD announced that it had awarded a
$26.4-million contract to a team led by Carnegie Mellon University for system
development and demonstration of the Gladiator. The first Marine Corps unit is
scheduled to be equipped with production Gladiators in the third quarter of FY2009.19
Dragon Runner is a radio-controlled UGV about the size of a shoe box that is intended
to support Marine units in urban combat operations by peering around corners and
examining the next floor up in a building (it is designed to be tossed up a stairway). The
first operational Dragon Runners might enter service around FY2006. A total of nine
prototypes were reportedly sent to Iraq in June and October 2004.20 Other kinds of
UGVs have been sent to Iraq for use by the Army and Marine Corps, particularly for
disposing of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Issues for Congress
Potential issues for Congress regarding naval UVs include the following: What
implications might UVs have for required numbers and characteristics of naval ships and
manned aircraft, and naval concepts of operations? Since the current Navy UCAV and
Gladiator UGV programs will likely fall far short of meeting the goals established by
Section 220 of P.L. 106-398, should the these programs be accelerated so as to come
closer to meeting the goals? How will the restructuring of the J-UCAS program into the
Navy-oriented UCAV program affect the Navy UCAV effort? Are the Marine Corps’
UAV and UGV programs adequately coordinated with those of the Army? Is the Marine
Corps’ plan for using upgraded Pioneers as an interim tactical UAV the best approach?
Legislative Activity
FY2007 Defense Authorization Bill (H.R. 5122/S. 2766). Section 921 of S.
2766 require DOD to develop a policy for acquisition of unmanned vehicles that includes
“Requirements in order to satisfy the goals for unmanned air and ground systems
established in section 220” of P.L. 106-398. This provision is discussed on pages 374-
375 of S.Rept. 109-254 of May 9, 2006, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s report
on S. 2766.
FY2007 Defense Appropriations Bill (H.R. 5631). The House Appropriations
Committee, in its report (H.Rept 109-504 of June 16, 2006) on H.R. 5631, recommends
reducing the Navy’s $239.2-million request for FY2007 research and development
funding for UCAV advanced component and prototype development by $50 million
(pages 2443, 248, and 254). The Senate Appropriations Committee, in its report (S.Rept.
109-292 of July 25, 2006), recommends denying this request entirely (pages 180, 188, and
189.
19 Geoff Fein, “Gladiator Unmanned Ground Vehicle Preparing For Testing In 2006,” Defense
Daily, September 15, 2005.; Gladiator Duel Ends,” Inside the Navy, Feb. 14, 2005.
20 Aarti Shah, “Marine Corps Uses Dragon Runner Unmanned Ground Vehicles In Iraq,” Inside
the Navy, Nov. 8, 2004.

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