美国海军航空母舰打击群历史上首次与一艘大型无人机舰一同部署。代理海军部长洪高（Hung Cao）周三表示，最近从圣地亚哥母港出发的西奥多·罗斯福号航空母舰打击群，此次部署配备了一艘“无人水面舰艇”（USV）。高在华盛顿特区举行的美国陆军协会年度会议和展览会上表示：“这是历史上首次有航空母舰打击群与大型无人水面舰艇一同部署——而这将极大提升作战能力。”
A US Navy aircraft carrier strike group has deployed with a big drone ship for the first time in the service's history. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said on Wednesday that the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, which recently deployed from its homeport in San Diego, did so with an "unmanned surface vessel," or USV. "This is the first carrier strike group to ever deploy with a large-size unmanned surface vessel — and this is a force multiplier," Cao said at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting and exposition in Washington, DC.
美国正越来越多地将海军无人机和其他自主航行舰艇，包括更大的无人驾驶船只，整合到其海上行动中。军方希望将价值数十亿美元的军舰与成本更低、可消耗的系统相结合。一些北约盟友也在采取类似做法。近年来，小型快艇式海上无人机在全球各地的冲突中发挥了关键作用。例如，乌克兰曾使用装有爆炸物的海上无人机重创俄罗斯在黑海的海军舰队。
The US is increasingly integrating naval drones and other autonomous vessels, including larger driverless ships, into its maritime operations as the military looks to pair multibillion-dollar warships with cheaper, attritable systems. Some NATO allies are doing the same. Small, speedboat-style sea drones in particular have played a crucial role in conflicts around the world in recent years. Ukraine, for instance, has used explosive-packed sea drones to devastate Russia's fleet in the Black Sea.
乌克兰还在海上无人机领域进行了创新，为其配备了其他无人机、火炮和导弹。在中东地区，美国长期以来一直使用海军无人机进行情报收集。然而，在对伊战争期间，美军也利用这些无人机营救被击落的直升机机组人员，并袭击伊朗港口，这与乌克兰对俄罗斯的做法类似。美国初创公司“蓝水自主航行”（Blue Water Autonomy）的联合创始人奥斯汀·格雷（Austin Gray）在接受《商业内幕》采访时指出，与中型和大型海军无人机相比，这些小型海上无人机不太适合与装备精良的航空母舰打击群协同作战，因为它们无法像传统军舰那样灵活机动，也无法携带必要的有效载荷。
It has also innovated with its sea drones, arming them with other drones, guns, and missiles. In the Middle East, the US has long used naval drones for intelligence-gathering purposes. However, during the war against Iran, American forces used the drones to rescue the crew of a helicopter that was shot down and to strike Iranian ports, as Ukraine has done to Russia. These smaller sea drones are less suitable for operations with heavily armed carrier strike groups compared to medium and larger naval drones because they can't maneuver with the traditional warships or carry the necessary payloads, Austin Gray, the cofounder of Blue Water Autonomy, a US startup making USVs for the Navy, told Business Insider.
格雷表示，大型无人水面舰艇可以装备导弹、无人机以及非致命系统，如传感器或电子干扰设备，从而为打击群提供支援和保护。
Larger USVs can be equipped with missiles, drones, and non-kinetic systems like sensors or electronic jamming equipment, Gray said, allowing them to support and protect the strike group.
他补充说，该领域的进步意味着自主航行船舶可能承担多种任务，例如物流、加油和搜寻潜艇。尼米兹级航空母舰“西奥多·罗斯福”号于9月下旬离开圣地亚哥，正在横渡太平洋。这支打击群还包括水面战舰，预计将进入中东地区。美国海军目前已有两个航母打击群和一个两栖戒备群——由三艘大型平甲板航母、数艘其他水面战舰和数十架战斗机组成——部署在中东，美军正在那里对伊朗港口实施海上封锁。
Advancements in the field mean there could be many missions available for autonomous ships, such as logistics, refueling, and submarine-hunting, he added. The Nimitz-class carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt departed San Diego in late September and is sailing across the Pacific. The strike group, which also includes surface warships, is expected to enter the Middle East. The Navy has two carrier strike groups and an amphibious ready group — a collection of three large flattops, several additional surface warships, and dozens of fighter aircraft — already in the Middle East, where US forces are maintaining a naval blockade against Iranian ports.
自7月中旬以来，美军已使四艘据称违反封锁航行的商船丧失行动能力。最近一次是在上周末，一架美国战斗机在一艘货轮离开伊朗港口后对其发动了攻击。
Since mid-July, US forces have disabled four commercial vessels said to be sailing in violation of the blockade. Most recently, last weekend, an American fighter jet struck a cargo ship after it left an Iranian port.