Jordan to support US Navy unmanned drone task force in Red Sea
The Royal Jordanian Naval Base at Aqaba will host the US 5th Fleet's Task Force 59 to test unmanned surface craft in the coming weeks.
A Jordanian naval base at the Red Sea port city of Aqaba will become the latest hub for a new US Navy task force to test unmanned technology in Middle Eastern waters.
In the coming weeks, the US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59 will work with members of the Royal Jordanian Navy to deploy Saildrone unmanned surface vessels via Aqaba.
The 7-meter (23-foot) wind-powered craft are designed to gather a variety of maritime data for up to a year under monitoring by remote operators.
Why It Matters: The Red Sea has seen increasing military activity by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Iran’s navy, both of which are seen as threats by states that border the strategic waterway.
