China Displays Unmanned Attack Boats at ARMY-2023

China showcased three types of attack boats – JARI USV, JARI-USV-A and Xuan-Long – at the ARMY-2023 Forum (August 14-20) in Moscow.

Two of the unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) are of JARI type developed by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC). The other USV, Xuan-Long appears to be new and no information was available at the time of publication. It was displayed with weapons.

JARI USV – the “mini Aegis-class destroyer”

CSIC said the JARI multipurpose, medium-sized USV achieved initial combat capability in 2019. This USV is 15 m in length, 4.8 m wide, 1.8 m in draft, and has a displacement of about 20 tons. It has a range of 500 nautical miles and can achieve a maximum speed of 42 knots. Its propulsion consists of a single pump-jet.

The vessel is fitted with four fixed panels of active phased array radar (APAR), electro-optic systems, navigational radar and satellite link antenna. It can optionally be fitted with a sonar for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

The vessel's "main gun" is 30 mm remote controlled weapon station that can be optionally fitted with two rocket pods, each containing two guided or unguided rockets. Behind the main gun are two 2x2 vertical launching systems that can launch surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship missiles. Two single torpedo launchers can be fitted on the sides of the USV for ASW. Lightweight torpedoes, speculated to be the ET52 torpedo, are used for the launchers.

Because of its design, radar, and weaponry, it has been called a "mini Aegis-class destroyer".

 While the drone can be operated remotely from land or a nearby mothership, it can also operate autonomously via an artificial intelligence. The JARI USV can operate alone or in a swarm once it's given its commands.

JARI-USV-A

China first unveiled a model of the stealthy JARI-USV-A at NAVDEX-23 exhibition in Abu Dhabi. It is an advanced unmanned surface vessel with a total length of 58 meters, beam width of 23 meters, beam depth of 4 meters, and displacement of 420 tons. It has a maximum speed of 42 knots and a carrying capacity of 70 tons.

The JARI-USV-A is a capable of performing a range of military operations, including over-the-horizon strike, air defense, anti-missile, and submarine search and attack.

It is equipped with a diesel-electric dual-mode propulsion system that allows it to operate independently or in ship formation for medium and long-range operations.

The vessel is capable of autonomous awareness. It can also autonomously plan tasks and intelligently control the platform and payload for task execution according to operational requirements.