A future merchant convoy might have one or two crewed warships, such as an air-defence escort and an anti-submarine escort, supported by four or five uncrewed vessels. That balance recalls the numbers used in Second World War convoy protection. A stripped-down vessel around 1,000 tons, compared here with a Flower-class corvette, remains a possibility. The objection is speed: an uncrewed partner limited to about 18 knots would constrain a formation whose crewed ships can manoeuvre at more than 30 knots.
Chapter · 49:30-50:30
Uncrewed convoy escorts must keep pace with the fleet
A convoy could combine a few crewed specialists with several uncrewed escorts, but the proposed partners still need enough speed to manoeuvre with the fleet.