Bahrain leads unmanned taskforce exercise

TDT | Manama                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com  

A multinational naval task force led by Bahrain conducted a one-day training drill in the Arabian Gulf, on Tuesday featuring unmanned systems and artificial intelligence alongside seven crewed ships.

Naval Forces from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States participated in support of the Bahrain-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 152.

“It is so valuable to get these opportunities to test how our forces from different nations can work together with the uncrewed systems,” said Royal Bahrain Naval Force Capt. Rashed Al-Ameen, commander of CTF 152.

“It helps us better understand how to work with each other to boost regional security.” Three US Navy Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessels operated with USS Hurricane (PC 3) and USS Chinook (PC 9) from the United States, UK Royal Navy ships RFA Cardigan Bay (L3009) and HMS Bangor (M109), Royal Bahrain Naval Force ships RBNS Al-Manama and RBNS Al-Fateh, and HMS Khalid from the Royal Saudi Navy.

CTF 152 led the exercise while embarked aboard Cardigan Bay, as the ship sailed in international waters off the coast of Saudi Arabia. This is the latest drill involving unmanned systems in the Arabian Gulf since the United Kingdom and the United States completed a similar bilateral naval exercise Oct. 7.

During both manoeuvres, unmanned and artificial intelligence systems operated in conjunction with crewed ships and naval command centres ashore in Bahrain. Sensors from the unmanned vessels could locate and identify training aides in the water and relay visual depictions to the command centres.