AUSTIN, Texas — The U.S. Navy has awarded Saronic Technologies a production agreement for 10 Marauder autonomous vessels, part of an initial order for 30 Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels (MUSVs) following successful at-sea testing.
The Navy awarded production agreements for 10 vessels each to Saronic, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), and Galliano Marine Services. The service lists an average procurement cost of about $40 million per vessel, which would put 10 vessels at roughly $400 million based on that average. However, neither the Navy nor Saronic disclosed the exact value of Saronic's agreement.
The awards use Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements, a contracting method intended to move faster than traditional procurement. Production is set to begin immediately at shipyards in Louisiana, with deliveries expected to begin as early as the fourth quarter of fiscal 2027.
Marauder Design and Capabilities
Saronic's Marauder is a 55-meter (180-foot) autonomous vessel designed mainly for logistics and modular payload transportation. It can carry up to 150 metric tons, including four 40-foot or eight 20-foot shipping containers.
The vessel cruises at 12 knots and can exceed 25 knots at sprint speed. Its listed range is 5,400 nautical miles (10,000 km) with a light load and 4,100 nautical miles (7,600 km) when fully loaded. Marauder can operate autonomously or under remote human supervision.
During Navy testing, Marauder completed more than 140 test scenarios without failure during eight days of continuous operations. It demonstrated autonomous maneuvering around maritime traffic and detected, tracked and followed vessels using passive onboard sensors while keeping its radar switched off, reducing active electronic emissions.
“Marauder went from initial design to on-the-water in under a year, and this evaluation demonstrated that the platform holds up under the Navy’s own toughest testing,” Saronic CEO and co-founder Dino Mavrookas said.
Mavrookas said Saronic has now flipped its third Marauder hull, with several more moving through production.
Production Expansion
Saronic launched its first Marauder in May 2026 at its shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana. The company is investing $300 million at the facility to construct three new slips and establish a dedicated production line, with a long-term goal of producing up to 20 Marauders annually.
Finished vessels are transported to the Port of Gulfport, Mississippi, for final testing and commissioning.
Saronic is also developing its planned Port Alpha shipyard in Brownsville, Texas, where the company has a separate Navy contract to construct landing craft utility vessels.
Navy's MUSV Marketplace
The production awards follow Phase One of the Navy's MUSV Marketplace, launched in March 2026 after the service ended its earlier Modular Attack Surface Craft prototyping effort.
Under the “fly before you buy” approach, companies funded development of their vessels and had to pass Navy at-sea evaluations before receiving production opportunities.
Seven companies were selected for testing in May: Saronic, HII, Galliano Marine Services, Leidos, PacMar Technologies, Sea Machines and Birdon. Six successfully completed testing, while Birdon did not advance.
Saronic, HII and Galliano received the initial 30-vessel production awards. Leidos, PacMar Technologies and Sea Machines each received $15 million after completing the prototype phase and were added to an online marketplace where U.S. defense organizations can place follow-on orders.
HII will provide 10 vessels from its Romulus family, while Galliano Marine Services, affiliated with Edison Chouest Offshore, will deliver another 10. Production locations include Loreauville, Houma and Franklin, Louisiana.
The Navy is funding the first 30 vessels with money provided through the previous year's reconciliation law.
The service has also opened Phase Two, covering additional MUSV designs, including larger logistics vessels. The requirements allow vessels up to 90 meters long that can operate unmanned for at least 10 days and carry at least two standard 20-foot containers.
The first phase has also faced a legal challenge from Blue Water Autonomy and Saildrone, two companies that were not selected for testing. They argue that the Navy did not follow its stated criteria when selecting the initial competitors.
The Marauder is Saronic's second major Navy production program. The company already holds a $392 million contract to produce its 7-meter (24-foot) Corsair autonomous boat. Earlier this year, Saronic raised $1.75 billion, bringing its valuation to $9.25 billion.
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