What are the pros and cons of unmanned combatants?
Short answerAn unmanned combatant can act like a modern trawler or Flower-class corvette: threatening enough to draw fire, yet cheap enough that killing it wastes a torpedo and reveals the submarine.
NotesAn unmanned combatant can make a submarine commander uncomfortable. If the craft is threatening enough to matter but cheap enough to lose, an enemy submarine must either tolerate it or reveal itself by attacking. Such vessels could also provide presence or reinforce other forces. This disposable role differs from a next-generation large combatant that would be closer to a cruiser.