The HCS Navy have begun operating a new unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) for autonomous surveillance. The Long Watch UUV is the first of what will likely be a whole series of UUVs and USVs operated by the Navy over the next few years, along with UAVs too of course! Long Watch is intended to wait undetected in areas of the sea with suspected pirate and drug smuggler activity. It has a 3 week endurance thanks to a fuel cell powerplant with solar backup (the UUV will spend most of it's time just below the surface). It has EO and IR sensors plus passive sonar and a directional microphone. It can datalink to ships or aerial vehicles up to 25 miles away, further if the UUV is on the surface (though it would not do this on an operation).
The HCSN have given details of an operation where Long Watch already proved it's worth. One was able to observe some drug smugglers relaying video feeds directly to a SH-26 helicopter just over the horizon. When the helicopter crew felt they had enough video evidence they then moved in and made the arrest.
