China has successfully developed the world’s first autonomous drone carriers as it looks to expand its maritime influence through the use of AI.
The vessel, which can be operated both remotely and autonomously, can carry dozens of unmanned vehicles, including drones and submersibles.
It can also launch and recover those drones autonomously, reported the South China Morning Post.
According to the shipbuilder, Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard, the equipment on the drones can help better maritime observation and marine scientific research.
Batches of drones can be deployed in an area to create a three-dimensional view of what the drones are observing.
The equipment is part of the vessel’s Intelligent mobile ocean stereo observing system (IMOSOS) also a global first developed by the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai).
The IMSOS could be effective in preventing and mitigating marine disasters, monitoring the marine environment, and maintaining offshore wind farms.
The ship, named Zhu Hai Yun, is currently undergoing sea trials and is expected to be delivered by the end of the year.
Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard, a unit of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, began construction in July 2021.
The power, propulsion, intelligence, and survey operation support systems on the vessel were built largely in China.
The vessel can move at speeds of up to 18 knots (about 33 kilometers per hour) – about the same speed as a container ship.
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