AdvertisementAustralia could scrap plans to develop a fleet of large “drone ships” with the United States and instead seek to partner with Britain on the navy’s first foray into cutting-edge autonomous surface vessels. But, as this masthead reported this week, the US Navy has killed off its plan to develop large vessels of this kind, throwing Australia’s plan into doubt. The opposition is calling for the government to reconsider its requirement that the ships be able to operate with sailors on board and examine options for a fleet of fully uncrewed vessels. “It could be the United States, it could be UK, it could be a third country. “We have to ask ourselves why the Americans abandoned their plan for large uncrewed vessels in the first place,” she said.