Text taken from the Telegram channel of @neinsider.
Commentary by Russian military journalist is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] The US Navy has begun implementing a transition of warships from the classic hardware to the software-defined paradigm, where the main focus is on improving their ability to quickly and autonomously update software via a wireless connection using low-orbit communication satellites. This approach is already successfully used in the commercial sector (for example, Tesla) and is expected to significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the fleet.
In 2024, US warships received wireless software updates in combat for the first time. In the Red Sea, this improved the capabilities of the Aegis system against Houthi cruise and ballistic missiles. Software-defined platforms allow for more efficient management of sensor systems, computing power, and weapons. The advantage of such systems is the speed of updates, while the use of physical media becomes unnecessary. This will also allow the implementation of new functionality directly on the battlefield.
The security of these systems will be based on zero-trust technology, on which almost all US government cybersecurity is built. The warship modernization program also includes a reduction in the number of crews whose tasks can be performed by special software. Previously, the Chinese successfully tested and adopted unmanned warships (not boats) that have the ability to change their combat characteristics and purpose using wireless software updates. In 2022, China introduced the first software-defined architecture of the combat system for ships (JARI).
As part of this concept, it is assumed that "software-defined warships" will have powerful computing and networking equipment such as graphics processors, central processors, routers, switches, etc. These hardware components must be easy to install and update given the pace of change in commercial technologies. Moreover, onboard computing equipment will have commercial architectures such as x86 or ARM, instead of specialized chipsets, so that any American company can create software and hardware for American warships.
Currently, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing large and medium-sized software-oriented unmanned surface ships. Initially, it is planned to convert one of the Tikanderoga-class missile cruisers into an unmanned vehicle, the first tests of such a ship should begin by the end of 2027, in parallel with this, concepts of unmanned ships are being developed from scratch.
They will come to this too, but not right away. First, there will be a mass introduction of small-sized drones and vessels. And the big ones are more likely to happen in the 30s-40s.