Navy tests surface drone that can dive for days at West African exercise
LIBREVILLE, Gabon — The U.S. Navy is testing an autonomous drone that can operate above and below the surface in a bid to help African countries battling piracy, the illicit drug trade and other illegal activities in the Gulf of Guinea.
The TRITON drone’s introduction during the Obangame Express multinational exercise is designed to determine whether it’s suitable for long-term, sustained use in the region, Rear Adm. Michael Mattis, director of Strategic Effects, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, said Tuesday.
The two-week exercise comes as the U.S. focuses on the partners in West Africa that it’s still legally able to work with, especially following a recent coup in Niger, where the U.S. was forced to abandon a $110 million aerial drone base. Russia and China have made their own inroads in the region.