During the Africa Aerospace & Defense 2018 Show, the Chinese company China Shipbuilding and Offshore international Company, or CSOC, presented the model of a new small naval combat drone with a combat capacity comparable to that of a "mini Arleigh Burke", named after the class of destroyers which form the backbone of the US Navy, and universally recognized as an excellent multi-purpose ship, capable of responding to all scenarios, and even to resist a global viral pandemic.
And the fact is, the JARI, only 15 meters long and weighing only 20 tonnes, has quite remarkable announced capacities. Thus, the drone can reach 42 knots thanks to pulso-jet propulsion, and has a range of 500 miles. Above all, it carries a truly remarkable array of weapons and detectors, with a 30 mm anti-aircraft and anti-surface cannon, 2x4 vertical silos for short-range anti-aircraft or anti-ship missiles, 2 anti-aircraft torpedoes. -light submarines, all controlled by a 4-plate AESA radar, and a hull sonar. In addition, the small ship would have a modular structure allowing the onboard weaponry to be modified depending on the missions assigned to it. In fact, JARI would be capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, from anti-submarine warfare to armed reconnaissance, and the elimination of drones, aircraft and ships from the protection zone. The drone could, according to its designers, evolve under the control of an operator, as well as autonomously, with on-board Artificial Intelligence. It can also act in a coordinated manner in a swarm of drones, an uncommon approach in the world of naval drones today.
The JARI has gone beyond the stage of the marquette, since the first copy was put at sea on August 21, as reported by the state website Global Times. And its designers are so confident in its performance that they say the drone is already operational. It costs nothing, in fact, to say it... If CSOC claims to have already established promising contacts with several navies, there is no reference to a possible entry into service of the drone within the Chinese naval forces.
However, JARI can represent a very interesting alternative for many countries, which struggle to have a coherent naval capacity. Although it is, by its size and autonomy, limited to coastal operations, it can nevertheless provide significant means of detection and engagement, at a modest cost of ownership compared to a frigate or a corvette. It can also represent an investment of choice for countries with few resources, but a large maritime area to protect, particularly against adversaries who can use heavy ships or submarines. Note, in this respect, that if the JARI can indeed represent a threat to a submarine, the latter will on the other hand have great difficulty in engaging such a light and compact vessel. Because if submarines today carry very effective torpedoes and anti-ship missiles against surface units, these munitions are very poorly suited to the engagement of compact naval drones.
One thing is certain, JARI opens a new area in terms of coastal engagements, and for the moment, traditional submarines, helicopters, aircraft and surface ships are not equipped to deal with it. Beyond the design of light naval combat drones, such as the JARI, it will therefore be necessary to quickly undertake the design of munitions capable of engaging and destroying these ships.
The fact remains that, for a country like France, which has an immense EEZ to protect, the JARI concept would probably represent an interesting solution for strengthening the defensive capabilities of overseas territories, in addition to the essential increase in the number of corvettes and light frigates dedicated to this mission.