Royal Navy sails autonomous RIB in UK waters for the first time
The APAC 24, being tested in Portsmouth Harbour. (Picture: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)
The RIB trials are expected to inform rapid future RN deployment of autonomous vessel technology.
The UK’s Royal Navy has driven an uncrewed Pacific 24 rigid inflatable boat (RIB) in British waters for the first time.
The Pacific 24 RIB (PAC 24) has been the mainstay of Royal Navy small boat operations since 2015, when it replaced the PAC 22. It has regularly been involved in operations including rescues, intercepting drug runners and moving sailors from ship to shore.
In November 2024, a PAC 24 was put through a week of tests in the Solent, a challenging sailing environment. It was both remotely piloted, and allowed autonomous control by an operator onboard the nearby research
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Hanwha Ocean and TKMS are firming up their Canadian next-gen submarine proposals]()
Hanwha Ocean and TKMS are firming up their Canadian next-gen submarine proposals
CPSP competitors are proposing platforms fitted with advanced, next-generation capabilities to be built and sustained in cooperation with the Canadian industry.
-
![UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration]()
UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration
The latest foreign military sales request from the UK has implications for the future of the programme and collaboration between the three nations.
-
![RTX Raytheon enhances SM-3 and SM-6 production capacity]()
RTX Raytheon enhances SM-3 and SM-6 production capacity
The expansion of the Redstone facility in Alabama will enable Raytheon to increase production of Standard Missiles in the location by 50% and support Washington in refilling stockpiles after recent operations have depleted the Pentagon’s reserves.
