FRANKLIN, La. — Saronic Technologies has confirmed that its first Marauder Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) has progressed from an initial design concept to on-water trials in less than 12 months, marking a significant milestone in the company's effort to accelerate autonomous ship development for both defense and commercial applications.
The Austin, Texas-based defense technology company said the first Marauder hull is currently undergoing intensive sea trials for more than 12 hours a day, seven days a week, to validate its autonomous systems, reliability, and performance under real-world maritime conditions.
According to the company, the testing program is designed to evaluate the vessel's autonomous capabilities at range and in challenging operating environments before potential operational deployment.
"The team took Marauder from initial design to on-water trials in under 12 months. Now we're running it on the water 12+ hours a day, seven days a week, proving out the autonomy at range and in conditions that don't cooperate," Saronic said in a company update. "We're pushing the system hard, it's the same bar we've held on every vessel we've fielded, and we're holding it here. We're putting in the work that matters and we're glad to be doing it."
Designed for Long-Range Autonomous Operations
The 54.9-meter (180-foot) Marauder is designed to conduct extended missions without a crew onboard. The vessel can operate either fully autonomously or under remote human supervision.
According to Saronic, the platform has a maximum speed exceeding 25 knots, a range of up to 5,400 nautical miles, and a payload capacity of up to 150 metric tons.
Official specifications state the vessel can travel 5,400 nautical miles at a base load of 25 metric tons or 4,100 nautical miles when carrying its maximum 150-metric-ton payload. It has a cruise speed of 12 knots.
The ship features a modular aft deck capable of carrying the equivalent of four 40-foot ISO shipping containers or eight 20-foot containers, allowing operators to reconfigure the vessel for different mission requirements without major structural changes.
Saronic says the platform is intended to support a wide range of missions, including logistics, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), communications relay, decoy operations, maritime domain awareness, research, and seabed monitoring.
Recent sea trial footage released by the company showed the vessel equipped with navigation radars and optical sensors while carrying three 20-foot containers during testing.
First Hull Built at Louisiana Shipyard
The first Marauder hull, designated MR-001, was launched from Saronic's shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana, in late May 2026 before entering sea trials shortly afterward.
The company said the rapid development timeline was made possible by integrating vessel design, manufacturing, and autonomy software development within a single production system. Saronic also uses modern aluminum shipbuilding techniques, modular construction methods, and commercial components to support faster production.
Marauder is powered by diesel engines with waterjet propulsion and incorporates a software-based fleet intelligence platform that provides operators with real-time visibility into vessel systems, telemetry, and operational status. The system also allows remote intervention when necessary, while every major hardware component is designed with a software interface for monitoring and control.
Additional Vessels Already Under Construction
Saronic is already building three additional Marauder hulls at its Franklin facility.
According to the company, construction of the second hull is progressing approximately 25 percent faster than the first at the same stage. The second vessel was flipped in March 2026 and is currently being outfitted with mechanical, electrical, and autonomy systems. The third and fourth hulls remain in earlier stages of construction.
To increase production capacity, Saronic is expanding its Franklin shipyard through a $300 million investment. The project will add more than 300,000 square feet of production space, three new slips, expanded warehouse facilities, and a dedicated assembly line for large vessels.
The expansion is expected to be completed by the end of 2026 and is intended to support production of up to 20 Marauder vessels annually. The company has also announced plans for a larger future manufacturing facility in Texas.
U.S. Navy MUSV Program
Saronic has been selected by the U.S. Department of the Navy as one of seven companies advancing to the at-sea testing phase of the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) Marketplace program.
The other selected companies are Sea Machines, Leidos, Galliano Marine Services, PacMar Technologies, Birdon, and Huntington Ingalls Industries.
The MUSV Marketplace program is intended to evaluate mature commercial unmanned surface vessel technologies for potential naval use while accelerating the introduction of autonomous systems into the fleet through a faster acquisition process.
Companies that successfully complete at-sea testing are eligible for $15 million and possible follow-on production contracts. Testing under the program is scheduled to continue through October 2026.
Saronic's selection builds on its existing work with the U.S. Navy, including a production contract for its 24-foot Corsair autonomous surface vessel.
Marauder is part of Saronic's family of autonomous surface vessels that share a common autonomy software architecture, ranging from the 24-foot Corsair and 52-foot Mirage to the 180-foot Marauder.
Company Highlights Development Timeline
Saronic Co-Founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas said the development pace represents an uncommon achievement in modern U.S. shipbuilding.
"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," Mavrookas said.
"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."
As of early August 2026, the first Marauder continues intensive on-water testing while additional vessels progress through construction at Saronic's Louisiana shipyard. The U.S. Navy's MUSV Marketplace evaluations are also continuing as scheduled through October 2026.
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