Unmanned Surface News

Last August, U.S. Navy officials carrying out a test of unmanned vessels realized they had hit a single point of failure: Starlink. A global outage across Elon Musk’s satellite network affecting millions of Starlink users had left two dozen unmanned surface vessels bobbing off the California coast, disrupting communications and halting operations for almost an hour.The incident, which involved drones intended to bolster U.S. military options in a conflict with China, was one of…

As the United States embarks on clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz, it could draw on an arsenal of drones, explosive‑laden robots and helicopters to reduce risks, though de‑mining crews could still be vulnerable to Iranian attacks.The U.S. is trying to secure the strait from mines as part of efforts to end Iran's disruption of shipping, which has severely curbed global energy supplies since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran at the end of February.But while the U.S.

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) has introduced AutoHook, a first-of-its-kind fully autonomous vessel recovery interface developed by FMD’s Norway-based business, Vestdavit. AutoHook is designed for fully autonomous launch and recovery systems (LARS) supporting unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and other assets requiring zero human intervention. The compact, lightweight form factor is designed for interoperability across allied fleets in demanding maritime conditions, removing the…

Magnet Defense today announced beginning production of its first deliverable M48 unmanned surface vessel (USV), marking a pivotal milestone as the M48 transitions from an operationally validated prototype program to a production platform.The M48 offers a range of up to 17,000 nautical miles and the ability to self-deploy from San Diego to the Arabian Gulf, unassisted and without refueling. This performance is best-in-class and a significant differentiator amongst competitors in terms of combined range…

Damen Shipyards Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with FN Herstal, laying the foundation for a strategic industrial participation in maritime defense.The two parties aim to collaborate closely on the integration of FN solutions with Damen vessels, and the development of the regional, European and NATO defense eco-systems.The agreement provides for close collaboration in innovation and engineering, including the joint exploration of advanced maritime solutions…

Amidst a more complex and uncertain operating environment, Singapore’s MPA is charting the long-term direction for Maritime Singapore. This includes developing strategies to seize growth opportunities and strengthen Singapore’s position as a key node in global trade, while continuing to drive innovation, accelerate technology adoption, and develop a future-ready workforce.MPA is developing the Maritime Singapore Master Plan, an industry-wide blueprint to guide the sector’s longer-term development.

RS Aqua announced a new strategic partnership with Seasats, a San Diego-based unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developer, to introduce their range of security platforms to the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland defense market.Seasats is known for its high endurance, modular, and user-friendly USVs designed to deliver maritime domain awareness through autonomous operations. Through this partnership, RS Aqua will represent and support the Seasats product portfolio across the UK and Ireland.Seasats’ inaugural model, the Lightfish, is a modular USV engineered for long duration autonomous missions.

ACUA Ocean has announced the launch of FleetMind, an integrated platform monitoring system for autonomous vessels, filling a gap in the medium and large unmanned surface vehicle (USV) management capability.While existing autonomy software solutions focus on command and control, navigation and collision avoidance, end users are consolidating the number of systems being deployed. This necessitates a modular approach to the C2 software integration layer, allowing focus to be spent on reducing the operating burden of vessel management and maintenance.

NYK recently made an equity investment in Oceanic Constellations Inc. (OC) through a third-party allotment of new shares, funding expected to support OC’s efforts to establish a mass-production framework for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), among other initiatives.OC, an ocean-tech startup, aims to establish a mass-production framework for USVs within the next few years. The large-scale production and social implementation of USVs will enable the creation of new marine infrastructure that contributes to addressing societal challenges such as ocean surveillance…

On February 5, NYK made an equity investment in Oceanic Constellations Inc. (OC) through a third-party allotment of new shares. The funds from this investment are expected to support OC’s efforts to establish a mass-production framework for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), among other initiatives.OC, an ocean-tech startup, aims to establish a mass-production framework for USVs within the next few years. The large-scale production and social implementation of USVs will enable…

Fincantieri has launched Italian Navy’s newly built hydro-oceanographic ship (N.I.O.M.) Quirinale at its integrated shipyard in Riva Trigoso, marking a milestone in Italy’s maritime research and monitoring capabilities.The vessel, designated N.I.O.M. Quirinale, has been designed to support scientific mapping and monitoring activities and will operate in support of the Italian Navy Hydrographic Institute, the state authority responsible for producing official national nautical documentation.Measuring approximately 110 meters in length with a displacement of around 6…

Palantir leaders said the U.S. technology company has clinched a deal to sell more software to HD Hyundai, ramping up its heavy-industry work in South Korea.The agreement is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Palantir over several years, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.Palantir declined to comment on terms of the deal.The companies organized a signing ceremony at office space Palantir set up for the World Economic Forum's annual meeting this week in the Swiss resort of Davos.The agreement marks an expansion of work Palantir began in 2021 with HD Hyundai…

In his 2026 goal setting message, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez noted that all eyes will be on the finalization of the autonomous ships code.The MASS Code is a framework for the safe, secure, and environmentally friendly operation of remotely operated and autonomous ships.Maj. Joseph DeFlorio, U.S. Army 8th Theater Sustainment Command, National Security Law Team, highlighted in a December piece on the Indo Pacific Defense Forum that there is a lot to be gained from autonomous shipping.Autonomous systems can monitor hazards and respond with precision…

The face of U.S. shipbuilding continues to evolve at speed, as Magnet Defense LLC has completed its acquisition of Metal Shark, bringing together autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and established U.S. shipbuilding capacity to accelerate delivery of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for national security missions.The combination positions the newly integrated company as a supplier of AI-enabled USVs for U.S. and allied military customers, with Metal Shark’s Louisiana shipyards serving as production hubs supporting fleet operations and missile defense missions…

Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and the Republic of Korea’s Korean Register (KR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to co-develop a framework to strengthen verification and validation (V&V) for perception and autonomy technologies used in Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs).The agreement brings together DSTA’s expertise in systems engineering with KR’s leadership in maritime policy, certification and safety standards. Both organizations will jointly…

Louisiana-based boat builder Metal Shark, a supplier for the US Armed Forces and allies, and Tocaro Blue, a developer of Al-powered marine sensor processing solutions, have announced a strategic collaboration to embed Tocaro Blue's ProteusCore M Radar processing software into Metal Shark's fleet of High Speed Maneuverable Unmanned Surface Vessels (HSMUSVs).ProteusCore provides operators with advanced radar data fusion, machine learning based object detection and classification, and real-time target tracking, improving ISR and operational safety in maritime environments.

HII executives toured Breaux Brothers Enterprises in Loreauville, Louisiana, and announced that construction of a prototype of ROMULUS, the company’s new unmanned surface vessel (USV) family, has reached 30% completion. The vessel remains on schedule for sea trials in the fourth quarter of 2026.During the visit, HII leaders toured the shipyard with build partners Breaux Brothers and Incat Crowther, and reviewed progress on hull construction, integration of the HII’s Odyssey Autonomous Control System (ACS)…

SEA.AI’s optical situational awareness system, Watchkeeper, is now fully integrated into the USV12, a 12-meter Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) developed by VN Maritime and Havelsan, in collaboration with Piloda Defence and VN Maritime Shipyard.The USV12 is a naval platform that can be configured for either crewed or fully autonomous operations. Based on the patented Rafnar ÖK Hull, the USV12 offers exceptional stability and safety, even in challenging sea conditions and at speeds up to 40 knots…

In a shipbuilding industry defined by tradition, one new entrant is seeking to rewrite the rules of how naval vessels are designed, built and delivered. Saronic Technologies, founded just three years ago, is racing to create what CEO Dino Mavrookas calls “a next-generation shipbuilding ecosystem” — one capable of delivering unmanned surface vessels (USVs) at the speed and scale the U.S. and its allies will need to compete on tomorrow’s seas.Saronic Technology’s ambition is staggering: a vertically integrated…

NYK’s Group company Keihin Dock has signed a joint demonstration agreement with Oceanic Constellations (OC), an ocean-tech startup, seeks to establish a mass-production system for small unmanned surface vehicles (USVs).The move aims to accelerate the development of innovative solutions to tackle industry-wide marine challenges in Japan.OC plans to implement a world-first approach to consistent ocean monitoring by deploying multiple USVs equipped with sensors and communication…

Robosys Automation, a leader in maritime autonomy and remote operations, has announced a new contract award from the Australian Maritime College, AMC Search, to supply its advanced VOYAGER AI software as a retrofit to its OPT WAMV-16 Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV).This contract builds upon the current successful collaboration between Robosys and AMC Search for where VOYAGER AI is deployed in the Australian Maritime College’s (AMC) Bridge Simulators to build trust in AI navigation testing for STCW watchkeepers as well as to test autonomous COLREGS based Collision Avoidance.

German navigation systems specialist Anschütz has officially unveiled ‘Anschütz Autonomics’, a new line of solutions aimed at enabling autonomous navigation and mission automation for commercial, defense and security vessels.The launch follows a series of successful demonstrations with partners in Germany and France, as well as trials with the German Navy.The system is built on certified and operationally proven components, providing safe and precise autonomous navigation and…

Boston-based Blue Water Autonomy, a company designing and producing unmanned ships for the U.S. Navy, has formed an Advisory Board whose members include:• RADM (ret.) Tom Anderson, former Program Executive Officer, Ships (PEO Ships)• Stephen Rodriguez, Chairman of Blue Forge Alliance & dual-use investor• Michael Stewart, former Director, Navy Disruptive Capabilities Office and Unmanned Task Force• VADM (ret.) Roy Kitchener, former Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific"As we enter the next phase of growth…