How do you ensure that naval vessels designed today remain operationally relevant in twenty or thirty years’ time? That question was central to an exploratory study carried out by Unified International on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. The study focused on the integration of (future) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on board naval vessels – and the impact this has on ship design. 

Collaborating parties 

The study was conducted by Unified International, commissioned by the Maritime Systems Division (AMS) within COMMIT (Materiel and IT Command) of the Ministry of Defence. 

To obtain a realistic and future-oriented perspective, Unified International brought together several viewpoints: 

• Defence stakeholders, who contributed the operational context and future ambitions of the Royal Netherlands Navy 
• International UAV manufacturers and suppliers, who provided insight into technological developments and market trends
• The industry and integration perspective, in which Unified International applied its expertise in system integration and aviation systems 

This combination made it possible to look not only at what is feasible today, but above all at what will be needed tomorrow. 

Approach and scope of the study 

The impact analysis examined: 

• which functions a vessel needs to support UAV operations 
• how different types of UAVs (VTOL, fixed-wing, heavy fuel, electric or hydrogen-powered) place different demands on ship design
• how today’s design choices can enhance or limit the operational deployment of UAVs in the future 

 The exploration combined information from desk research, interviews with industry parties, visits to trade fairs (including AUVSI Xponential) and a multidisciplinary validation session with Defence to arrive at a consistent overall picture. 

Results of the study 

The study helps Defence and ship designers to incorporate UAV integration from the outset in design and modernisation programmes, regardless of brand, system or type. Central to this are five so-called top-level functions that every vessel should be able to support: 

1. Launch and recovery infrastructure 
2. Energy supply 
3. Storage and deck handling 
4. Command & Control (C2) and data links 
5. Maintenance facilities 

By considering these functions independently of specific UAV types or suppliers, insight is gained into which design choices are decisive now and where flexibility can be. retained for future developments.

This helps design teams and decision-makers to: 

• identify dependencies and bottlenecks at an early stage
• understand which choices are difficult or costly to change later 
• make well-founded design decisions, even in the face of uncertainty about future UAV systems

Design choices with the future in mind 

The service life of naval vessels often extends to forty years, while UAV technology develops at a rapid pace. The war in Ukraine demonstrates how quickly innovations in unmanned systems can change military operations. Effective UAV integration requires alignment between vessel and aviation system, both technically and operationally. In practice, however, this rarely occurs: UAVs are usually applied ‘as-is’, without requirements for full onboard integration. This applies, for example, to launch and recovery systems and communication between UAV and vessel.  

If UAV integration is only considered after the design phase, this leads to: 

• costly modifications
• limitations in deployment
• Or the complete exclusion of certain UAV concepts 

By incorporating UAV operations from the outset in ship design, naval vessels can: 

• operate more effectively
• deploy personnel more safely
• adapt more quickly to future threats and technological developments 

The added value of the study lies not only in its content, but also in bringing together insights from both industry and Defence. 

The COMMIT study supervisor: “This study has helped us to approach UAV integration not as a separate addition, but as an integral part of future ship design. By bringing together different perspectives, we have gained a better understanding of the preconditions required to keep future vessels adaptive and operationally relevant”.