The U.S. military is beginning testing on the world’s largest unmanned ship — a self-driving 132-foot surface vessel designed to travel thousands of miles out at sea without a single crew member on board.
Officials showed off the so-called “Sea Hunter” on May 2 off San Diego’s coast, where it will test it over the next two years.
Officials say the ship has the potential to revolutionize not only the military’s maritime service but commercial shipping by marking the first step toward sending unmanned cargo vessels between countries.
The Pentagon’s research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, developed the ship along with Virginia-based Leidos. The tests will largely focus on its ability to react on its own to avoid collisions with seafaring traffic.