Called the GhostSwimmer, the drone uses the streamlined shape of a shark to cut through the water. It also propels itself with a tail, swimming like a real shark. Assuming it moves forward from the testing phase to some sort of future production model, it will join other aquatic drones to replace the dolphins and other marine animals the US Navy has used for mine clearance and harbor protection. Also, unlike the marine animals which require significant amounts of care and can only be deployed by specialized units, UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles) can be used by any ship. We could soon see a Navy consisting of a small number of large, manned platforms (i.e., ships) serving as hosts to hundreds of drones, used in the air, on the surface and underwater. This may also help us get past the increasing expense of manned platforms, allowing us to concentrate on a few highly survivable ships using swarms of drones for offensive and defensive operations.
This is the future of the US military; an arsenal of robots, precision strike weapons and a comparative small number of battle managers and special forces operators for environments where you need a person with a gun.
Or with SkyNet...AAAAHHHH!!!!
Source: Wired
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