FRANKLIN, La. — May 31, 2026 : Defense technology company Saronic has launched its first Marauder Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV), introducing a new autonomous maritime platform designed for both defense and commercial operations in offshore environments. The launch marks the beginning of on-water trials for the vessel at the company’s shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana, while additional hulls are already progressing through production.
The first Marauder moved from initial design to launch in less than one year, a development pace Saronic says reflects an integrated production model combining ship design, manufacturing, and autonomy development under one structure.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team for achieving this milestone. Designing, building, and launching an entire new class of ships in under a year is a feat the American shipbuilding industry hasn’t seen in generations,” said Dino Mavrookas, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Saronic. “It’s what happens when design, production, and manufacturing are fully integrated under one roof. With multiple hulls already underway and our shipyard continuing to grow, this is what revitalizing American shipbuilding actually looks like — autonomous ships delivered at speed and scale, with the production capacity to back it up.”
Vessel Designed for Long-Range Autonomous Operations
Built for sustained missions far from shore, the 180-foot Marauder is designed to perform operations that traditionally place heavy logistical burdens on ships or expose crews to elevated operational risks. The vessel can operate fully autonomously or under remote human supervision, eliminating the need for a permanent onboard crew.
Saronic stated that the vessel is capable of top speeds exceeding 25 knots and has an operational range of up to 5,400 nautical miles, enabling long-distance deployment across maritime regions.
A key feature of the platform is its 150-metric-ton payload capacity and modular mission design. The vessel can carry up to four 40-foot ISO containers or eight 20-foot ISO containers, allowing payloads to be adapted without changing the core platform.
According to the company, the vessel can support missions including logistics support, maritime domain awareness, marine research, persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), transport operations, and other autonomous maritime activities.
Shipyard Expansion and Production
The Marauder is being built at Saronic’s shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana, a facility previously operated as Gulf Craft that the company acquired to support autonomous vessel manufacturing. The company said the shipyard uses modern aluminum shipbuilding methods, including modular construction, manufacturing-optimized subassemblies, and production sequencing intended to improve efficiency.
The second Marauder hull, flipped in March 2026, is currently being outfitted with mechanical, electrical, and autonomy systems and is progressing 25 percent faster than the first hull. Construction is also underway on the third and fourth hulls, reflecting plans for scalable production.
To support larger-scale manufacturing, Saronic is investing $300 million to expand the Franklin shipyard, with completion expected by the end of 2026. The expansion will add more than 300,000 square feet of production space, including a dedicated large-vessel assembly line, three new slips, and expanded warehouse capacity.
Once completed, the facility is expected to produce up to 20 Marauder vessels annually and create approximately 1,500 direct jobs.
Software-Based Fleet Intelligence Platform
Alongside vessel production, Saronic has developed a software-based fleet intelligence platform to provide operators with real-time oversight through a human-on-the-loop control system.
According to the company, onboard systems continuously provide telemetry, vessel condition, subsystem status, and operational performance data. The platform includes logging, alerting, diagnostics, historical data replay, monitoring, and remote actuation capabilities, enabling remote intervention when required.
U.S. Navy MUSV Program
The launch comes as the U.S. Navy advances efforts to expand unmanned maritime capabilities. Saronic was recently selected as one of seven companies participating in the Navy’s MUSV Marketplace program, which will conduct at-sea demonstrations from June through October 2026.
Each selected company is expected to receive $15 million to support testing and demonstrations. Platforms that successfully complete evaluations may become eligible for larger follow-on production contracts for missions involving ISR, logistics support, maritime sensing, modular transport, and distributed naval operations.
With the first Marauder now in water trials and multiple additional hulls under construction, Saronic is positioning the platform for scalable autonomous vessel production. The company did not announce specific delivery schedules or production contract awards alongside the launch.
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