This Destroyer Is The World's Largest Remote Controlled Vehicle
What does the Navy do when it needs to know for sure that a new weapon system or electronic countermeasure works, not just under stringent lab-like settings or at a land based range, but in its intended operating environment? They put it to sea on a giant remote controlled Destroyer and throw live missiles at it.

The USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964) is a Spruance Class Destroyer that was originally commissioned in 1976 and served till its decommissioning in 2003, between which it took part in multiple conflicts around the globe. Among many historical acts, the Foster was the first ship to fire Tomahawk missiles during Operation Desert Storm.

Today, this 529-foot-long, 8,000-ton-displacement steel beast has been given a second, albeit more precarious life as the Navy's Self Defense Test Ship. Since 2005, the re-designated Paul F. Foster (EDD-964) optionally manned full-scale test ship has been on the near-receiving end of all types of attacks and has been the Navy's one stop shop for testing everything from laser defense systems to alternative fuels.
This Destroyer Is The World's Largest Remote Controlled Vehicle ExpandUp until 2005, the USS Decatur was the Navy's geriatric Self Defense Test Ship. At the time, this ship was close to 50 years old and ran on very dated technology, which hampered its ability to be used for anything but as a rudimentary target and weapons test platform surrogate. The much more modern Paul F. Foster's Spruance Class hull was adopted for the Navy's Ticonderoga class Cruisers, a type that remains a key component in the Navy's surface warfare fleet. Additionally, the Foster's basic structural configuration is also similar to the Navy's modern Arleigh Burke Class destroyers and her gas turbine engines are of the same family of those deployed on both ships. All these features give her a certain level of physical commonality with the Navy's existing surface combatant fleet and allows the ship to be used for a much broader menu of testing options than its predecessor.
Systems mounted on the Navy's previous Self Defense Test Ship, the USS Decatur:
This Destroyer Is The World's Largest Remote Controlled Vehicle Expand

Although her configuration changes depending on NAVSEA's testing goals, the Paul F. Foster has a full array of launch systems, identical to those that you would find on any operational US Navy ship. These includes a Mk 49 Guided Missile Launching System for the super-nimble RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile, a Mk 29 eight-celled box launcher for the Sea Sparrow missile (RIM-7 or RIM-162 ESSM capable) like those found on US Aircraft Carriers and Amphibious Helicopter Docks, a Phalanx Close In Weapon System, and a 61 cell Mark 41 vertical launch system, capable of firing a large variety of weapons including Standard anti-air missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles.