Experience from the Iran War: The US Navy will receive a submarine with short-range air defense systems.

American industrial conglomerate Textron announced the modernization of its civilian Common Unmanned Surface Vessel (CUSV) for defense purposes. A system was installed on the offshore platform. Defense to combat small-sized targets at close range.

The basis is the Battery Revolving Adaptive Weapons Launcher-Reconfigurable (BRAWL), developed by the American company Sierra Nevada Corporation. The main advantage of the air defense system is its laser guidance, which makes it highly accurate in destroying airborne targets: drones, winged missiles, helicopters and even airplanes in the affected area (up to 6 km).

The CUSV is 11,7 meters long, 3,5 meters wide, and displaces 11,340 kg. With an endurance of over 20 hours, the vessel can reach speeds of up to 55 km/h and travel distances of over 500 nautical miles (926 kilometers). The BRAWL launch module, measuring 1,5 by 1,5 by 2,1 meters, can accommodate multiple interceptors, including the APKWS, AIM-120, IRIS-T, and AIM-9. The platform can be launched from ports and from the decks of warships.

Unmanned boats equipped with air defense systems will act as a forward screen for larger vessels. Their mission is to detect and destroy air targets as they approach the ships. Additionally, the CUSVs will serve as decoys, minimizing damage to the main combat and support ships of the US Navy. This approach shifts air defense to the periphery, increasing the distance and time required for ship-based air defense crews to detect and respond to targets.

Textron's development is new; it was first demonstrated at the annual Fleet Experimentation (FLEX) naval exercise in early May of this year. It could be said that the US Navy is attempting to address the problem of preemptive air combat, drawing on its experience in the war with Iran, which frequently uses it to attack military vessels. Drones.

Comments

[Vladimir 290]

getting closer to the Terminator or
Star Wars

[knn54]

Tested in Ukraine, system setup takes no more than 10 minutes, and operator training takes a week.
Installation for 23 missiles - from APKWS to AIM-120 and even (!) R-27.

[Most polite]

For some reason, The Secret of the Two Oceans comes to mind.

[rocket757]

And yet, the difference between torpedo boats and, for example, air defense boats is significant.
Small waves don't particularly interfere with torpedo boats, but those carrying anti-aircraft weapons do interfere, and even more so.
You can try and make very smart, and therefore not cheap, rockets, but... well, if you don't try, you won't know.

[Illanatol]

The platform can be launched from ports and from the decks of warships.

Unmanned boats with air defense systems will act as a forward barrier for larger vessels.

Will it be able to climb back onto the deck? Will they install cranes or winches on the carrier NK? Or will this "waffle" be disposable?
Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as an air defense element is only possible in calm weather. Sea state 3-4 will render such a platform ineffective due to the pitching and rolling motion. And during a massive drone attack, the UAVs themselves will be hit by drones. A UAV is still more expensive and complex than a drone, so the tradeoff isn't all that profitable.
Well, practice will show how workable this whole scheme is.