February 12, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Crowded field of robot-boat makers vies for Navy's attention
Industry execs say service leaders are showing real interest—even if they’re not yet buying in bulk.
Artist's conception of Blue Water Autonomy's 190-foot, 800-ton Liberty USV. Blue Water Autonomy February 12, 2026 01:07 PM ET Industry Navy Drones AI & Autonomy SAN DIEGO, California—Boston-based Blue Water Autonomy aims to take its 190-foot robot patrol craft from prototype to production this year, joining a newly crowded field of startups and established players trying to get their unmanned surface vessels in front of U.S. Navy buyers, commanders, and operators.“Right now, the focus really should be on the suppliers” so the Navy can “see the performance of these vessels,” CEO Rylan Hamilton told Defense One ahead of the WEST 2026 conference here.
He said the Navy needs to know industry’s offerings are reliable and “see these vessels in the water operating every single day with the fleet.”The Navy hasn’t yet decided how many medium and large unmanned surface vessels it needs. Experiments are continuing under at least three commands, while fleet leaders are working to shape plans to buy, operate, and maintain USVs. But the lethality of robot warcraft has been proven in waters in and off Ukraine.