Navy looking to emulate signals on maritime drones to train systems for Pacific Fleet

The Navy is seeking technology to remotely generate realistic ship radar and communications signals on unmanned vessels to train Pacific Fleet sensors and software without requiring expensive crewed ships. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle announced the "Hedge Strategy" in January to build a hybrid fleet combining manned ships with autonomous platforms, but current uncrewed systems lack the size, weight, and power capacity to carry full sensor suites needed for realistic signal training. The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit is running the Emulation Module for Unmanned Systems (EMU) program to address the gap, which currently slows integration of sensor data into the maritime common operational picture and delays situational awareness across the Indo-Pacific Command area. Contractors must deliver land-based emulation capability within 90 days of award and conduct on-water tests within 180 days, with industry responses due April 8. The solution would allow operators to remotely select, schedule, and adjust signals in real-time while managing power and emissions on small unmanned surface vessels and other robotic platforms.