This article is part of our weekly DefenseTech Brief.
Investment and activity in unmanned maritime systems (UMS), encompassing Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), continue to accelerate, driven by naval requirements for missions like Mine Countermeasures (MCM), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).
Saronic Expand Manufacturing Capabilities
A significant indicator of the sector’s growth and industrial maneuvering is the acquisition by autonomous vessel startup Saronic of Louisiana-based shipbuilder Gulf Craft. This deal provides Saronic with nearly 100 acres of shipbuilding facilities. Saronic has pledged a $250 million investment to modernize the shipyard, specifically for the production of unmanned systems, aiming for an annual capacity of up to 50 USVs and creating up to 500 jobs. The immediate focus is on establishing the capacity to develop, test, and produce larger Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs), including the company’s first Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) model. This strategic move towards vertical integration signals Saronic’s ambition to secure dedicated, scalable production capabilities needed to compete for major naval programs and meet broader defense and commercial demand.
Bollinger Delivers the First MCM USV
Crucially, the transition from development to operational deployment is underway. Bollinger Shipyards delivered the first three full-rate production Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Surface Vehicles (MCM USVs) to the U.S. Navy. This marks a significant milestone, representing the first unmanned surface vessels produced at scale under an official Navy program of record. The delivery signals a concrete shift in the Navy’s mine warfare strategy, moving away from legacy manned platforms like the MCM-1 Avenger-class ships and MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters towards autonomous systems. The MCM USVs are designed to perform minesweeping, minehunting, and mine neutralization tasks, reducing risks to personnel while offering greater operational resilience, endurance, and adaptability for operations in high-threat maritime environments. These modular vessels can be deployed from various platforms and integrated into broader network-centric naval operations.
DIU Solicits Proposals for Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP)
Further indicating the drive for advanced UMS capabilities, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has an open solicitation for the Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP). This initiative seeks commercially available, demonstration-ready uncrewed systems capable of deploying large payloads (up to 21ft long) over extended ranges exceeding 1000nm and operating at depths greater than 200m. Key focus areas include payload emplacement, ISR, bathymetric surveys, communications across the air/water interface, and autonomous operation in GPS-denied environments. Desired attributes emphasize modularity, open architecture for integrating third-party payloads and control systems (including pathways for UMAA compliance), transportability, and minimal surface presence. Responses are due by May 1, 2025.
Exail Growth Order Intakes by reported a dramatic 519%
Established players are also experiencing strong growth. Exail Technologies, the French high-tech group specializing in UUVs and navigation equipment, reported a dramatic 519% surge in order intake during the first quarter of 2025, reaching €487 million ($554.3 million). This growth was primarily attributed to increased defense spending by European governments. A major contract for drone systems, valued at several hundred million euros and placed by an unspecified “leading Navy,” was a key driver. Exail’s order backlog reached €1.1 billion ($1.25 billion) by the end of Q1, with the defense sector accounting for 75% of total orders. Group sales increased by 18%, supported by its core navigation and maritime robotics business. Exail confirmed its outlook for double-digit revenue growth in 2025, reflecting the buoyant market for maritime autonomy solutions.
Andurill Joins Ultra Maritime To Establish a Seabed Sentry
Collaborations are also shaping the development of advanced capabilities. Anduril Industries and Ultra Maritime announced an exclusive partnership to develop a novel autonomous subsea sensing capability focused on ASW. The initiative combines Ultra Maritime’s Sea Spear deployable acoustic arrays and AI-enabled acoustic processing technology with Anduril’s UUV platforms (Dive XL), modular undersea payload systems (Seabed Sentry), and Lattice command and control framework. The operational concept involves an Anduril Dive XL UUV autonomously deploying the Seabed Sentry system, which hosts the Sea Spear array as a payload. Sea Spear will perform sonar processing using AI at the tactical edge, with data relayed in near real-time via acoustic communications integrated into the Lattice network. The partners plan end-to-end in-water testing in 2025, aiming to provide a rapidly deployable, potentially low-cost, distributed ASW capability to counter increasingly quiet submarine threats.
Summary
The Bollinger delivery and Saronic’s shipyard investment clearly indicate the unmanned maritime sector is maturing beyond R&D into series production and fielding, particularly for well-defined mission sets like MCM. The focus on MCM and ASW, along with DIU’s push for long-range, large-payload platforms, highlights these traditionally dangerous and resource-intensive tasks as key drivers for adopting autonomy, leveraging the inherent advantages of unmanned systems in persistence, payload capacity, and risk reduction. The contrasting strategies observed – Saronic’s vertical integration versus the Anduril/Ultra collaboration – reflect a dynamic industrial landscape where companies are exploring different models (building in-house capacity vs. partnering for specialized expertise) to deliver complex integrated systems and capture market share in this rapidly growing field.
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