USMC Mini Seaplane Tenders?
You’ve heard of amphibious drones, yes? Like the land-locked cousins but a sea-based variety.
Some are simple, like the 10-pound Aeromapper Talon made by Canadian UAV manufacturer Aeromao.
Using an electric motor, the Talon can stay aloft for 90 minutes with a cruising speed of about 30 knots and, if needed, can make a water landing for recovery.
Yup. It floats. It is in production and has been available for the past four years.
They are being looked at as a low-cost coastal patrol and SAR asset, for instance, in Belize.
However, there are much cooler floatplane UAVs out there as well.
Meet the Hamadori 6000.
Developed two years ago by Space Entertainment Laboratory Co., Ltd. in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, it can automatically take off and land on the water even offshore with 10-foot swells, and, alternatively, can sail on water like a USV. It is small, with a wingspan of 11 feet, and an all-up weight of about 50 pounds, but can fly for approximately 120 minutes at a cruising speed of 30 knots and can operate within a range of approximately 10 nm.
A larger version is under works that will be able to centrally carry a 660-pound payload
The larger Hamadori in the works has a cruising range of 350 nm and the ability to continue flying for about 8 hours– which is very interesting.
In that vein, read this great speculative piece by Matthew Cosner in this month’s Proceedings entitled, “How Uncrewed Seaplanes Can Support EABO.”
Cosner, an operations research analyst with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent, theorizes Marine Littoral Regiments operating in conjunction with an uncrewed seaplane squadron.
A Marine uncrewed seaplane squadron (VMU[S]) would be equipped with approximately 18 small seaplane UAVs, organized into three detachments of six UAVs, each with one or more portable mission control systems. Each detachment would comprise perhaps eight to ten Marines with the skills to support, operate, and maintain their assigned vehicles and systems. The detachment would travel in small craft similar to the Navy’s former 53-foot riverine command boats. These would function as miniature seaplane tenders, moving frequently throughout the region.The Marine Corps has identified seven principal tasks for its aviation units: electronic and cyber warfare; offensive air support; air surveillance and reconnaissance; multidomain command and control; antiair warfare; assault support; and aviation ground support. VMU(S) detachments would be capable of swapping mission payloads to support the first four.
More here.