The "swarm warfare" is a new asymmetric tactic developed by the US Navy. Specifically it is based on the ability to attack an X vector with dozens of low-cost drones. The first elaboration of the new reference doctrine goes back to the 2012 in a document entitled "UAV Swarm Attack" written by the Naval Postgraduate School.
The imagined scenario is the following: what would happen if a swarm of low-cost drones attacked a modern warship?
"A US Navy destroyer is attacked by five to ten drones simultaneously: they come from all directions. Visibility is good. The drones are secretly controlled from a remote location located in a nearby fishing boat. Some drones are guided on sight, others are equipped with radars. The air defense system Aegis it is one of the best in the world, with an integrated suite of sensors and weapons. He is considered able to reset all kinds of threats with his missiles and cannons from 20 millimeters. But not the one formed by a swarm of drones. The reason? At the time such an asset was considered science fiction ”.
Aegis it was not designed to deal with this threat. The small drones have a tiny radar signature. Once identified, they cannot be engaged by missiles or cannons because they are too close together.
"The result is that the Aegis system cannot influence an attack carried by a swarm of drones to its advantage."
It has been estimated that between the detection and impact of drones, even the most powerful US Navy ship would have a reaction time of 15 seconds.
"The defenders on board should choose a different target from the others: only in this way could they hope to limit the damage". Exactly, only limit.
"On hundreds of simulations carried out, in an attack carried by eight drones, there is an average of 2,8 UAVs that always manage to hit the target. This means that it makes more sense to attack a ship with a large number of low-cost drones than with a missile. "
The Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology - LOCUSTA, aims to create a swarm of war formed by thirty drones completely automated at the same cost of a single missile, about 1,2 million dollars, by next summer. Considering the evolution of swarms, parallel programs such as theAerial Combat Swarms, which involves the use of swarms for self-defense against other enemy drones.
"The battles of the future will be fought by small drones, less expensive than those we are developing for Locust. The tactics we will discover will shape the future of war. "
(photo / video: US Navy)
