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Friday, September 18, 2026

Usv News

15 Sep 2026

MARTAC, SŌLACE Boats Partner to Scale USV Production

Copyright MARTAC

Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. (MARTAC) announced a manufacturing partnership with fellow Florida-based boatbuilder SŌLACE Boats, a partnership designed to enable MARTAC to scale production of its Devil Ray USV platforms by 100 vessels per year, meeting increasing demand signals from U.S. and allied-nation governments as well as supporting national security operations. SŌLACE Boats has an established reputation for designing and building high-performance and high-strength boats.

14 Sep 2026

Accurate Industrial Controls to Convert Six USVs into Navy Patrol Boats

© Accurate Industrial Controls

Indian marine automation provider Accurate Industrial Controls is set to begin converting three patrol boats to Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) as part of a six-vessel deal with the Indian Navy.The company has already undertaken a feasibility assessment of the first three vessels ahead of converting them to fully autonomous boats at Mumbai’s Naval Dockyard.Dharmesh Popatlal Gala, Accurate’s director of AI & Robotics, said the three vessels include a 13m Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC) used in coastal reconnaissance and two larger 23m Immediate Support Vessels (ISV).

14 Sep 2026

Robosys VOYAGER AI Integrated into FarSounder Forward Looking Sonar

Credit: Archipelago Yachts

Robosys Automation, a provider of autonomous navigation and vessel control systems, announced the integration of its VOYAGER AI Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) software with FarSounder’s Forward Looking Sonar (FLS) technology, delivering real-time situational awareness, obstacle detection, and navigation decision support for both luxury superyachts and Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs).The integration combines VOYAGER AI's navigation, route planning, COLREGs collision avoidance and autonomous vessel control capabilities with FarSounder's 3D forward-looking sonar technology.

20 Aug 2026

VIDEO: Saildrone USV Fires JAGM Missiles

A Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Ground Missile is fired from a Saildrone Surveyor USV during the US Navy’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise.
Image courtesy Saildrone

[video courtesy Saildrone]Saildrone and Lockheed Martin demonstrated a new armed autonomous naval capability during RIMPAC 2026, successfully launching two Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM) from a Saildrone Surveyor unmanned surface vessel (USV) off Hawaii.The live-fire exercise marked the first missile launch from a Saildrone platform, moving the commercially derived USV beyond its established intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and ocean-mapping roles into kinetic operations.Conducted under the U.S.

13 Aug 2026

When it Comes to Autonomous Boats: Show, Don’t Tell

Photo credit: Tommy Hancock

Anyone who has attended a writer’s conference has heard writers, editors, agents and publishers repeat the same mantra: “Show, don’t tell.” You can likely intuit what this means, but just to be clear, if you are writing a western thriller and you are describing a bar fight, it can’t be told matter-of-factly. The reader has to hear the crash of beer bottles against the bar’s mirror, feel the gunshots and root for the sheriff.What does this have to do with uncrewed maritime systems? A great deal.The U.S.

11 Aug 2026

Romulus USV Passes Critical Military Test

Source: HII

HII has announced that the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has officially recognized the successful completion of the company’s production-ready, inexpensive, maritime expeditionary (PRIME) prototype project.The prototype features the Watcher small unmanned surface vessel (sUSV), which is based on HII’s Romulus-25 USV and powered by HII’s Odyssey autonomous control system.The DIU recognition follows HII’s delivery and successful sea testing of two autonomous Watcher Romulus…

04 Aug 2026

Blue Water Autonomy Selected for Naval Autonomous Survey Work

© Blue Water Autonomy

Blue Water Autonomy, a Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company, has been selected for a multiple-award contract with the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) to provide high-resolution ocean floor mapping using long-endurance uncrewed surface vessels.Deep open-ocean survey is among the most demanding work at sea, and its value reaches well beyond a map of the seafloor. Surveys like these characterize the operating environment itself such as the terrain, the acoustics, and the shifting conditions that shape how naval forces move and operate far from shore.

21 Jul 2026

Unmanned Vessels Proliferate in today's "Hybrid Navy Extravaganza"

Saildrone introduced Spectre, a 52-meter, 250 tonne USV capable of up to 30 knots.
Source: Saildrone

Technology companies and shipyards are vying for attention as the US unmanned navy grows in size and sophistication.No too long ago, US Navy Secretary John Phelan said: “If the last few years of conflict have taught us anything, it is that we will not win the wars of the future with the platforms of the past.” The nation’s ability to deter future conflict or to prevail, if necessary, will benefit from high quantities of low-cost air, surface and subsea unmanned systems. These…

14 Jul 2026

GABLER, FLANQ Complete Successful Sea Acceptance Test for USV

Ranger, the Torpedo-Tube-Launched Uncrewed Surface Vessel (TTL USV) developed by GABLER and FLANQ, returns to harbour following the successful completion of its Sea Acceptance Test (SAT) in northern Germany last month. © GABLER

GABLER, a provider of submarine systems, and German defense technology company FLANQ have successfully completed the Sea Acceptance Test (SAT) demonstrating seaworthiness of their jointly developed Torpedo-Tube-Launched Uncrewed Surface Vessel (TTL USV) capability demonstrator.The demonstrator vehicle, named Ranger, combines GABLER's experience in mission-critical submarine components and defense manufacturing with FLANQ's capabilities in autonomous maritime systems, mission software…

09 Jul 2026

UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía Releases New Version of VECTOR Autopilot Software

© UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía

UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía, a Spanish company that specializes in guidance, navigation, and control solutions for unmanned vehicles, announced the release of software version 9.2, introducing enhanced interoperability, modularity, and multi-domain operational capabilities.Version 9.2 further strengthens coordinated multi-domain UxV operations, enabling interaction between aerial and maritime platforms. The navigation and control system supports heterogeneous UAV-USV swarms, including shared situational awareness and cooperative behaviors across air and sea domains.

07 Jul 2026

ACUA Ocean USV Collects 100 Hours of Continuous Multi-Domain Data

© ACUA Ocean

ACUA Ocean's Mk1 USV PIONEER has successfully completed a five-day remotely operated offshore demonstration, validating persistent, multi-domain maritime operations using an uncrewed surface vessel.On Monday 22 June 2026, PIONEER departed Turnchapel Wharf, Plymouth, and operated continuously 16–20 nautical miles offshore until Friday 26 June, completing more than 100 hours at sea without physical intervention. The demonstration combined two independent mission systems operating simultaneously:A CommsAudit SPECTRA Super Resolution Direction Finding (SRDF) surveillance system…

23 Jun 2026

US Supplies Autonomous Drones to Boost Philippine Maritime Surveillance

One of four Ocean Aero Triton autonomous underwater and surface vehicles displayed at the Philippine Navy’s Naval Operating Base Subic (Credit: U.S. Embassy in the Philippines)

The United States has transferred four Ocean Aero Triton autonomous underwater and surface vehicles (AUSVs) to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to strengthen the country's maritime domain awareness and its ability to monitor and respond to maritime challenges.The delivery, valued at approximately $13 million, was completed on June 22 during a turnover ceremony at the Philippine Navy's Naval Operating Base Subic, attended by U.S. and Philippine military officials.The Triton…

15 Jun 2026

U.S. Navy Selects Saronic for Sea Testing of MUSV Marketplace Program

Saronic’s Marauder MUSV at the company’s Franklin, Louisiana shipyard. © Saronic

The U.S. Department of the Navy has selected Saronic as one of seven companies to advance to the at-sea testing phase of the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) Marketplace, a program designed to rapidly field unmanned technologies by leveraging mature, commercial-ready solutions.Marauder, Saronic’s 180-foot Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel selected for the MUSV Marketplace, is designed from the keel up for autonomous operations and high-rate production. Built for sustained, long-range missions…

11 Jun 2026

Saronic, Castelion Collaborate on Maritime Hypersonic Launch Capability

© Saronic/Castelion

Saronic and Castelion have announced plans to join forces to launch a hypersonic vehicle from an unmanned surface vessel. By integrating Castelion’s Blackbeard with Saronic’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) Marauder, the two companies offer a powerful, credible option to deter would-be adversaries.A First-of-Its-Kind IntegrationThe collaboration between Castelion and Saronic marks the first integration of autonomous surface vessels with hypersonics and stands to accelerate…

03 Jun 2026

MARTAC Expands Across Western USA With Opening of San Diego Innovation Center

© MARTAC

Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. (MARTAC), a provider of fully autonomous unmanned surface vessels (USVs), announced the opening of the MARTAC Innovation Center West in San Diego, California. The new facility marks a milestone in the company’s expansion, strengthening its ability to serve defense, security and commercial customers across the West Coast and Pacific regions.The MARTAC Innovation Center West will serve as a hub for research, development, testing and customer engagement, complementing MARTAC’s headquarters in Melbourne, Florida. San Diego’s deep ties to the U.S.

02 Jun 2026

Fleetzero, Thoma-Sea, and Glosten Collaborate on Long-Duration USVs

Source: Fleetzero

Fleetzero, a U.S.-based developer of marine technology, has announced a collaboration with Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, a leading U.S. shipbuilder, and Glosten, a Seattle-based global naval architecture and marine engineering firm, to accelerate the development and deployment of integrated autonomous vessel solutions for commercial maritime, government, and defense customers.The partnership brings together Fleetzero's Leviathan™ Battery Energy Storage System, propulsion technologies…

02 Jun 2026

U.S. Navy Selects HII USV to Advance to At-Sea Testing

Source: HII

The U.S. Navy has selected HII’s ROMULUS unmanned surface vessel to advance to the at-sea testing phase of the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) program.Andy Green, executive vice president of HII and president of HII’s Mission Technologies division, said: “HII is proud that ROMULUS USV has advanced to the U.S. Navy’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel evaluation phase, a milestone that reflects HII’s longstanding track record for delivering mission-ready autonomous capabilities that support the U.S.

01 Jun 2026

Seven Firms Advance in US Navy’s Medium USV Program

Illustration (Credit: Sea Machines)

The U.S. Department of the Navy has selected seven companies to advance to the at-sea testing phase of its Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) marketplace initiative.The companies selected for the MUSV Family of Systems development program are Sea Machines, Leidos, Saronic Technologies, Galliano Marine Services, PacMar Technologies, Birdon, and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).The Navy said companies whose vessels successfully complete at-sea testing will receive $15 million…

31 May 2026

Seasats Completes First Autonomous Transit of the Taiwan Strait

Source: Seasats

Seasats today announced that a Lightfish uncrewed surface vessel (USV) has completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, a contested waterway separating Taiwan and mainland China.The vessel was deployed by Seasats from hundreds of miles away, and traversed the full length of the strait over five days while continuously monitoring surface vessel traffic. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, including a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056…

31 May 2026

Saronic’s Marauder Enters On-Water Trials

Source: Saronic

Saronic has launched its first Marauder Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV), designed to deliver dual-use autonomous capability far from shore across the full range of defense and commercial applications.Marauder is built for the kinds of sustained, long-range missions that place the greatest demands on any maritime vessel and present the greatest risks to any crew. Operating fully autonomously or under remote human supervision, Marauder is designed tooperate far from shore…

27 May 2026

Davie and Kraken Team Up on Autonomous Vessels

Source: Davie Shipbuilding

Québec-based Davie and UK-based Kraken Technology Group have announced a strategic collaboration to establish Canadian production, integration and development of Kraken’s autonomous solutions.Davie will provide Canadian capacity and capability to produce, integrate and develop Kraken’s uncrewed surface vessels and autonomous maritime systems.The announcement comes as Western governments increasingly prioritise autonomous and AI-enabled maritime capabilities as part of wider efforts to strengthen sovereign industrial capacity and accelerate naval modernisation.Philip Burns-O’Brien…

19 May 2026

Hyliion USX-1 Defiant USV Chosen as Launch Platform for KARNO Core Sea Trials

Credit: Hyliion Holdings

Hyliion Holdings Corp., a developer of modular power plant technology, announced that the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR), in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has selected the USX-1 Defiant as a candidate test vessel for Hyliion’s KARNO technology. Initial sea trials are funded under a development program from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to advance the use of KARNO Cores for onboard power generation in U.S. Navy vessels.For the USX-1 Defiant sea trials…

07 May 2026

OPT Demos Autonomous Offshore Charging for Maritime Drones

(Credit: OPT)

Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has demonstrated autonomous docking, charging and redeployment capabilities for its WAM-V autonomous surface vehicle as part of efforts to support longer-duration offshore operations.The company said the system enables the maritime drone to approach a dock, secure itself, recharge and return to operation without human intervention.OPT is preparing the technology for integration with its PowerBuoy platform to create offshore charging points capable…