The US maritime defense sector saw major strides forward in autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) technology during December 2025, with several high-value contracts and milestones reflecting the Navy's push toward uncrewed systems that scale.
Saronic Achieves $392 Million Navy Contract for Corsair ASV
On December 8, 2025, Secretary of the Navy John C Phelan announced a multimillion-dollar contract awarded to Texas-based Saronic for production of their Corsair autonomous surface vessel. This $392 million Other Transaction Authority deal provides $200 million upfront as an acceleration incentive; providing for immediate delivery within one year from prototype stage. It offers 1,000 pounds payload capacity with 1,000 nautical mile range and top speeds exceeding 35 knots; transitioning quickly from prototype into production status.
Saronic offers an assortment of vessels that meet dynamic operational needs, like the 6-foot Spyglass for dynamic operations, as well as larger ones like the 180-foot Marauder with 4,100 nautical mile range and full load capability. This contract supports rapid US shipbuilding expansion for ASVs using Saronic's unifying autonomy stack to increase mission flexibility.
Textron Systems sells TSUNAMI USVs to NIWC PAC
Textron Systems proudly announced its TSUNAMI autonomous maritime surface vessel was sold to Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC PAC). This scalable, modular family provides US Navy with rapidly deployable, fully autonomous small uncrewed surface vehicles (sUSVs). Textron's TSUNAMI range provides maximum mission flexibility.
David Phillips, Senior Vice President for Air, Land and Sea Systems at Textron, highlighted the vessels' durable design and global sustainability during a demonstration at FLEX25 in El Salvador to support SOUTHCOM anti-narcotics operations.
HavocAI and SAIC Partner for C2 Network Integration
On December 5, 2025, HavocAI and SAIC jointly announced a partnership that will connect HavocAI's autonomous surface vessels into the Pentagon's global command and control (C2) network via SAIC's Joint Range Extension gateway - linking vessels directly to Link 16 so all US military branches may deploy them for surveillance and operations in contested regions like the Philippines and Arctic.
HavocAI's Collaborative Autonomy Stack allows vessels to operate in teams with minimal human input, communicating efficiently for tasks in harsh environments and communicating efficiently when faced with dangerous tasks. Paul Lwin, HavocAI CEO, stressed its mass deployment potential without jeopardizing personnel safety.
HII Achieves Milestone in ROMULUS USV Development
On December 11th 2025, HII announced that development of its ROMULUS unmanned surface vessel family had reached 30% completion, marking a major step toward expanding uncrewed maritime capabilities.
Textron USV for AUKUS Trials
The United States Navy purchased a Textron Systems USV to test under its AUKUS trilateral partnership agreement with Australia and the UK to expand collaborative autonomous operations.
GAO Reviews Coast Guard Autonomous Regulations
On December 16, 2025, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) delivered testimony regarding US Coast Guard approaches to regulating autonomous ships as part of an inquiry on regulatory frameworks for emerging technologies.
These developments indicate a shift toward hybrid fleets, using ASVs for enhanced seapower projection while mitigating human risk in high-threat zones.