Why uncrewed warships may stop below frigate size

Could a large uncrewed Type 32 or another frigate-sized vessel make sense?

Uncrewed ships can complement crewed task groups, but current legal, command-and-control, and escalation risks make frigate-sized systems a poor near-term fit.

About 2,000 tons is offered as a plausible upper size for fully uncrewed surface vessels under the technology and operating assumptions discussed. That is already roughly River-class OPV size, with more internal room available when accommodation and other hotel facilities are removed. Larger ships could be optionally or minimally crewed, while a fully uncrewed 5,000- or 6,000-ton combatant would concentrate much more investment in an asset vulnerable to capture or hostile control. The panel also questions whether destroying an uncrewed vessel would trigger the same response as attacking a crewed ship. The suggested limit is conditional: substantial changes in technology or the treatment of uncrewed vessels could alter the assessment.