Royal Navy sails autonomous RIB in UK waters for the first time
The APAC 24, being tested in Portsmouth Harbour. (Picture: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)
The RIB trials are expected to inform rapid future RN deployment of autonomous vessel technology.
The UK’s Royal Navy has driven an uncrewed Pacific 24 rigid inflatable boat (RIB) in British waters for the first time.
The Pacific 24 RIB (PAC 24) has been the mainstay of Royal Navy small boat operations since 2015, when it replaced the PAC 22. It has regularly been involved in operations including rescues, intercepting drug runners and moving sailors from ship to shore.
In November 2024, a PAC 24 was put through a week of tests in the Solent, a challenging sailing environment. It was both remotely piloted, and allowed autonomous control by an operator onboard the nearby research
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