Autonomous, armed, and fast: Meet the Bengal MC warship. Today, there are robotic ships being tested for anti-submarine patrols, as minehunters, and even as submarines without crews.

Autonomous warships have moved into the large fast-attack league as Eureka Naval Craft announces what it describes as the most advanced autonomous naval attack vessel in the world. It can carry 40 tonnes and reach speeds of up to 50 knots (57 mph, 92 km/h).

The gap between conventional warships and autonomous ones keeps getting blurred as the latter grow in size and capabilities. Case in point is Eureka’s AIRCAT Bengal Module Carrier (MC), which was unveiled at the recent Sea Air and Space Exhibition in Maryland. A variant of the company’s previous crewed Bearcat model, it boasts not only improved payload capacity, but AI-powered autonomy courtesy of Greenroom Robotics.

Just as airborne drones have evolved over the last 30 years from simple prop-driven aircraft carrying cameras into a vast array of platforms with all manner of capabilities, autonomous naval vessels are undergoing a similar transformation. Once, just getting a small boat to operate under remote control was a nine-day wonder. Today, there are robotic ships being tested for anti-submarine patrols, as minehunters, and even as submarines without crews.