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OTTAWA — The Royal Canadian Navy is exploring options for unmanned ships, something Defence Minister Peter MacKay says could appear in the not-too-distant future.

The unmanned surface vehicles, or USVs, are the naval equivalent of unmanned aerial vehicles, the remote-control drones that are fast becoming the weapon choice for the Obama administration in the growing number of recent targeted killings of al-Qaeda terrorists.

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The technology for USVs is in its infancy compared with the aerial drones, but MacKay told The Canadian Press they could have a role to play in “near future” of the Canadian navy.

“We’re surrounded by water,” MacKay said. “Unmanned vessels, like unmanned aerial vehicles, give us reach and capability without the same risk. It allows you to keep harm at a distance. So there’s a lot of interest. … But it’s new technology.”

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As part of a broader research and development initiative by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, MacKay recently announced a $3-million grant to Rolls Royce to help support research into USVs in his home province of Nova Scotia.