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BAE Systems Autonomous Pacific 24 (AP24) Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) has been awarded Lloyd’s Register Unmanned Marine Systems Certification, making it the first uncrewed military vessel to achieve this.
The AP24 was developed by BAE Systems for the Royal Navy under funding from the NavyX autonomy and lethality accelerator program, which aims to deliver new technology at pace. It is a step-change for the Royal Navy in uncrewed operations, adding capability and flexibility to naval military missions.
Paul James, Head of UK&I at Lloyd’s Register, said: “Our Unmanned Marine Systems Certification assesses unmanned vessels against a set of safety and operational performance requirements to provide assurance to certify the safe design, build and maintenance. BAE Systems’ Autonomous Pacific 24 has been tested against our assurance framework and we are pleased to provide BAE Systems the first Lloyd’s Register UMS Certification on an uncrewed naval vessel.”
Scott Jamieson, Managing Director, BAE Systems Maritime Services, added: “I’m really proud that our AP24 is the first naval vessel to be certified to the Lloyd’s Register Unmanned Marine Systems code. It emphasises our commitment to supporting the Royal Navy’s development of uncrewed military capability and will ultimately help keep sailors safe from harm.”
BAE Systems has drawn on decades of experience integrating combat systems on Royal Navy vessels in developing a fully certified AP24, fully compatible with Royal Navy systems.
The uncrewed AP24 RIB has potential to undertake missions such as force protection and anti-piracy, persistent intelligence gathering and maritime security to meet the evolving threats to modern warfare and keep sailors safe. It is designed to be part of a modern, multi-domain force and can share data easily and securely with allies and enhance the Royal Navy’s operational effectiveness at sea whilst reducing threats to its sailors.
