Unmanned Autonomous Maritime Systems 

Unmanned autonomous maritime systems include both surface and subsurface systems. 

Unmanned surface vessels (USV) 

The Coast Guard has partnered with other government agencies to leverage a Department of Homeland Security contract for Saildrone USV capabilities. Primarily propelled by the wind and powered by solar energy, the USVs provide additional capabilities that enhance maritime domain awareness in an environmentally sustainable and cost-efficient manner. These USVs can be deployed and retrieved from any coastal location and operate 24/7/365, without the need for crewed support vehicles.  

Unmanned underwater vessels (UUV) 

The Coast Guard currently fields tethered remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), which are a form of UUV.  Beginning in 2004, the ROV program was developed for the Deployable Specialized Forces to support Maritime Homeland Security operations initially but has since expanded to support diving operations; search and rescue; ports, waterways and coastal security; humanitarian assistance and disaster response; and aids to navigation missions across the country. Designed as a target acquisition system, the combination of video, side scan sonar and forward-looking sonar on the ROV provides the Coast Guard with quick real-time data of subsurface on-scene conditions.