https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-06-05/israeli-navy-deploys-drone-boat-hunt-submarines-during-war-exercise
Seagull, Elbit Systems’ groundbreaking autonomous vessel recently participated in an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise conducted by the Hellenic and Israeli Navy.
The multi-mission drone ship deployed dipping sonar sensors initially designed to be carried by helicopters.
“The Seagulls’ performance in the exercise demonstrated that operating a dipping sonar onboard such a vessel significantly increases the operational working time while substantially enhancing detection capabilities and the effectiveness of Anti-Submarine Warfare,” said Elbit.
Three months before the exercise, the Israeli Navy completed a Sea Acceptance Test (SAT) for the dipping sonar (otherwise known as the Helicopter Long-Range Active Sonar (HELRAS)) that was successfully converted from operations on a helicopter to an autonomous boat.The HELRAS was developed in the 1970s by FIAR and British Aerospace to detect submarines. The sensor was used throughout the Cold War for detection of Russian submarines.
The Seagull team includes three operators, with two remotely managing the mission and the third monitoring the autonomous navigation.