Spartan Scout, an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration, is a crewless surface watercraft, also known as an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), developed by the United States in 2001, and first demonstrated in late 2003. The craft, a rigid hull inflatable boat, weighs 2 tons, and is 7 m in length. It is equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun, as well as various sensors, such as electro-optical and infrared surveillance and surface search radar. The Spartan is capable of carrying a 3000 lb payload. According to a press release from the United States Navy, the Spartan Scout will also come in a 11 m version, capable of carrying a 5000 lb payload. Although a two-man boat crew is needed to deploy the Spartan Scout, once deployed, it is capable of working autonomously or semi-autonomously. During its demonstration deployment, the Spartan Scout was configured for surface surveillance and force protection, although it can potentially be configured for more complex missions.

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