Small USVs can monitor and control maritime chokepoints at low cost and risk, but the market upside for the private sector to develop this capability is very limited
Great work on identification of market sizing! Wondering if expanding the use cases of sUSV's beyond just ASuW and ISR (sentry) would grow that market? Other uses cases for example: ASW, mine laying, mine countermeasures, AAW, undersea infrastructure protection etc. Also, non-military use cases e.g. Bathymetric and Hydrographic Surveys, subsea infrastructure inspection, Signature Measurement etc.
Good point Sean on attrition during wartime! Strike configured USV's could attrite like munitions.
There are a few additional chokepoints to the east of Malacca, Lombok and Sunda in the remainder of the Indonesian archipelago. Also: Torres Strait between Queensland and Papua New Guinea; in the Solomon Islands; the Southern Ocean including Bass Strait; Cook Strait connecting the Tasman Sea with the Pacific Ocean in New Zealand; Mozambique Channel; and all the straits and passes through the Philippine Islands connecting SCS with the Philippine Sea.
Michael, 100% agree. I struggled with naming any one of these as the most critical, without becoming "list-y" or adding more maps. So I tried creating a bucket of USVs for the Indonesian Archipelago and another for the Philippino. The latter would be distinct from the Luzon Strait fleet, and would probably spend a lot of time patrolling chokepoints around the Sulu Sea. Thank you for the feedback!
Great business case analysis. I'd like to see an additional attrition analysis for use during wartime, as the replacement rate for this will increase substantially. I think there are also commercial applications in the market re: Exxon protecting its oil rigs from Venezuela.
Great work on identification of market sizing! Wondering if expanding the use cases of sUSV's beyond just ASuW and ISR (sentry) would grow that market? Other uses cases for example: ASW, mine laying, mine countermeasures, AAW, undersea infrastructure protection etc. Also, non-military use cases e.g. Bathymetric and Hydrographic Surveys, subsea infrastructure inspection, Signature Measurement etc.
Good point Sean on attrition during wartime! Strike configured USV's could attrite like munitions.
Absolutely, I look forward to mapping some of this out. Let me know if you see any good studies or hard numbers
There are a few additional chokepoints to the east of Malacca, Lombok and Sunda in the remainder of the Indonesian archipelago. Also: Torres Strait between Queensland and Papua New Guinea; in the Solomon Islands; the Southern Ocean including Bass Strait; Cook Strait connecting the Tasman Sea with the Pacific Ocean in New Zealand; Mozambique Channel; and all the straits and passes through the Philippine Islands connecting SCS with the Philippine Sea.
Michael, 100% agree. I struggled with naming any one of these as the most critical, without becoming "list-y" or adding more maps. So I tried creating a bucket of USVs for the Indonesian Archipelago and another for the Philippino. The latter would be distinct from the Luzon Strait fleet, and would probably spend a lot of time patrolling chokepoints around the Sulu Sea. Thank you for the feedback!
Great business case analysis. I'd like to see an additional attrition analysis for use during wartime, as the replacement rate for this will increase substantially. I think there are also commercial applications in the market re: Exxon protecting its oil rigs from Venezuela.