The Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping augmented by Maritime Unmanned Systems (REP(MUS)21) successfully concluded on 24 September  2021. This year’s edition was more challenging due to COVID-19 restrictions. Nonetheless, the exercise was conducted southwest of Lisbon around the peninsular TRIOA and off SESIMBRA. During ten days at sea, a robust and demanding schedule of serials was conducted. Partners from various NATO countries and organisations, as well as academia and industry, used REP(MUS)21 to test the capabilities of a new generation of maritime unmanned systems across all three domains (air, surface subsurface).

The COE CSW supported the German Technical Centre for Ships and Naval Weapons (WTD 71) in conducting all their experiments. In particular, the experiments regarding Identification of Friendly Submarine (IFS) - NATO standard ASIP-01 (STANAG 1481) - in connection with the next generation of the Underwater Telephone (UT) 3000 2G were a great success. In live runs, the German Research Vessel (RV) PLANET and the Portuguese submarine NRP TRIDENTE, both equipped with an Underwater telephone UT3000 2G system from ELAC Sonar, proved the IFS  functionality successfully. The specific type of digital coding significantly reduces the Probability of Detection (PoD), whereas the communication range is comparable to common digital communication schemes.

REP(MUS) allows nations to pool their resources, talent, and ingenuity to create better, more flexible and interoperable Unmanned Maritime Vehicles and Systems (UMV/UMS). It supports the transition from large and expensive platforms to a mission adapted naval force of autonomous (unmanned) systems, which are more flexible, versatile, and capable of fulfilling future challenges. Nowhere is this more prescient than addressing future challenges in the underwater battlespace (ASW and NMW). Unmanned systems will undoubtedly have a significant impact on capability development in this domain, and autonomy will serve a crucial role in keeping personnel away from the threat. Furthermore, this REP(MUS)21 exercise provided an excellent opportunity to increase cooperation between Allied Navies and strengthen partnerships between the military, academia, and industry.