The U.S. Navy is moving its medium unmanned surface vessels from experimental sidelines toward a more visible operational role, with one drone boat deploying to the Pacific alongside the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. The mission marks the platform’s first operational deployment.

Adm. James Kilby, the vice chief of naval operations, discussed the vessels during an Oct. 8 hearing before the National Commission on the Future of the Navy. His testimony offered fresh detail about how the service could distribute and employ the systems.

Kilby said medium unmanned surface vessels, known as MUSVs, could become persistently forward stationed assets. Commanders could also receive the vessels through mission packages tailored to specific operational requirements.

The Navy’s No. 2 officer said certification exercises should prepare sailors to operate unmanned vessels that may already be positioned forward. “I see a world where it’s part of your certification exercise,” Kilby told the commission.

Crews would need to prove they can use that capability before deploying, rather than expecting a particular unmanned vessel to accompany them from the beginning. That approach would help make unmanned assets a normal element of fleet operations.

The Navy expects to receive its first formal delivery of 30 MUSVs by the end of fiscal 2027. Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed earlier this month that a drone boat had deployed with the Roosevelt Strike Group.

Cao described the unmanned vessel as a “force multiplier.” He also offered a straightforward description of what the additional capability could mean for naval firepower, saying, “Imagine having more guns out there.”

The Navy currently operates four MUSVs that were originally constructed as test beds and later transferred to the service. Last month, the Navy announced that it had selected three companies to build a total of 30 vessels.

That selection followed the Navy’s decision about six months earlier to pivot its MUSV program and accelerate drone boat development. The service cited its desire to make the vessels an integral component of the new “Golden Fleet” concept.

The Navy has also established the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach. Kilby said the center was based on the Navy Fighter Weapons School, commonly known as Top Gun, in Fallon, Nevada.

“The idea, in the case of MUSVs is, the surface community would certify an element to go forward and operate with the fleet. If they work with other [robotic and autonomous systems] entities, the commander of RASWDC will create that total tailored force package,” Kilby said.

Kilby also pointed to the need for the Navy to integrate unmanned capabilities being developed under the Secretary of War. The service must understand what it will receive because it will carry responsibility for manning, training and equipping those systems.

“The Secretary of War is developing capability very fast, from an unmanned perspective, and the Navy needs to do a better job of integrating with that capability, so we know what we’re receiving. Because we will have a manning, training and equipping responsibility for those things,” he continued.

Kilby said he was “not satisfied” with the Navy’s current preparations for receiving the incoming MUSVs. Still, he said the service possessed what it needed to “provide the governance and structure you need moving forward.”

The Navy has identified several possible missions for the vessels, including reconnaissance, surveillance and service as controllable weapons carriers. Modular payloads would allow the vessels to support different missions rather than being confined to a single use.

Kilby said the Navy has made progress on training but still must do more to fully integrate unmanned systems into the fleet. “It is the force development, the employment, the development beyond the [concept of operations] that we need help with,” Kilby said, “And [having] a sustainable plan so that we can bring that force to bear when we need it.”