Powercraft USV design (image : JohnMYS)
A Malaysian company, Powercraft has come up with Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) design that could some day being used by maritime enforcement agency such as the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), the Malaysian Coast Guard (officially known as the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency or MMEA) and the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) Marine Operation Force (commonly known as the Marine Police) for various roles.
Equipped with optronic and armed with Remote Control Weapon Systems (RCWS), the USV is based on Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) for better commonality with manned platform.
Working in tandem with Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) as mothership, the USV could be used as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform especially near the Malaysian-Philippines border where Kidnap for Ransom (KFR) groups from the southern Philippines usually operates.
It could also being used by the LMS to support Visit, Board, Search and Sieze (VBSS) party on board their RHIB which is usually being deployed from the ship to inspect suspicious vessels.
The USV is also useful to protect convoys and offshore bases along the border as well as in the Spratlys. It can also assist the LMS to shadow intruding vessels especially in Beting Patinggi Ali (or Luconia Shoals) where China Coast Guard has been stubbornly and continously harass local fishermen and oil & gas exploration activities.
These USV would be useful for Ops Benteng, an anti illegal immigrants operation to curb the import of Covid-19 from abroad.
The coast guard could deploy swarm of these USVs out of its Multi Mission Ship (MMS) positioned in strategic waters where foreign fishermen from Vietnam and smugglers as well as Sea robbers from Indonesia usually operates.
They could support the coast guard during VBSS to enforce Ops Jangkar Haram against large container and tanker ships which drop anchors or moored illegally within Malaysian waters.
USV could being used for Search & Rescue (SAR) operation.
The Marine Police on the other hand could use the USV as perimeter guard and ISR platform.
Powercraft has been known to provide airboat and landing crafts for the Marine Police, MMEA and the Malaysian Army GGK commandos.
(MFH)