The U.S. Navy has ordered 10 Marauder autonomous surface vessels from U.S. company Saronic. The 55-metre uncrewed vessels have completed at-sea testing under the Navy’s new Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) programme.
In total, the U.S. Navy has awarded contracts for 30 medium unmanned surface vessels — 10 each to Saronic, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Galliano Marine Services. The average cost of each vessel is about $40 million, with initial deliveries expected to begin by the end of fiscal year 2027, according to a U.S. Navy press release.
The Marauder is designed primarily for logistics and carrying modular payloads. The vessel can carry up to 150 metric tons of cargo, including four 40-foot or eight 20-foot shipping containers. Its cruising speed is 12 knots, while its maximum speed exceeds 25 knots.
According to Saronic, the Marauder has a range of up to 5,400 nautical miles with a light load and about 4,100 nautical miles when fully loaded. The vessel can operate fully autonomously or under remote human supervision.
During U.S. Navy trials, the Marauder autonomously tracked and maneuvered around other vessels. It also detected, tracked and followed ships using only passive onboard sensors, without its radar switched on. According to Saronic, the vessel completed more than 140 test scenarios without failure during eight days of round-the-clock testing.
Saronic launched the first Marauder in May at its facility in Franklin, Louisiana. The company is investing $300 million there to expand production and plans to eventually build up to 20 of the vessels per year.
The MUSV programme involves testing uncrewed vessels before they move into production. In May, the U.S. Navy selected seven companies for at-sea testing. Six of them successfully completed this stage. In addition to Saronic, HII and Galliano, three other companies — Leidos, PacMar Technologies and Sea Machines — will each receive $15 million and will be able to participate in follow-on orders through a U.S. Navy marketplace.
