In recent months maritime drones have hit the news headlines as they are increasingly deployed in conflict hot-spots around the world’s seas. The war in Ukraine, tensions in the ocean around China, and most recently armed attacks on shipping in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea have all been characterised by the use of various types of drones – uncrewed aircraft, drone boats, unpowered marine ‘glider’ craft, and underwater vehicles.

Our new study, ‘The Next Wave’, investigates the development and use of maritime drones and the likely future implications of their use in combat. While uncrewed boats have long been used in warfare – with the US Navy first using uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) for mine clearance in the 1990’s – today, maritime drones are used by an increasing number of states and non-state groups. This study reviews the reasons why, summarizes developments by the major military powers and the UK, and examines a set of case studies to identify how drones have been used during different types of conflict at sea.