Saronic Technologies has obtained a new production contract from the United States Navy for its 180-foot autonomous surface vessel named Marauder. This achievement came after sea evaluations that included over 140 scenarios during eight days of continuous operations.
Contract Details and Evaluations Conducted
This contract was awarded to Saronic on a fixed-price basis under the Other Transaction Award title. It was signed through the Navy's Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) market, aimed at accelerating the introduction of commercial autonomous vessels into the Navy's fleet.
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In May, during the maritime exhibitions, the United States Navy introduced seven companies, including Saronic, Sea Machines, and Leidos, to conduct MUSV evaluations. Companies that successfully passed these evaluations will be eligible for subsequent production contracts.
Marauder's Performance in Evaluations
Saronic has stated that the Marauder vessel completed over 140 scenarios without any faults during eight days of 24-hour operations. These evaluations included automatic tracking and maneuvering around other vessels, as well as passive perception tests where the vessel had to identify and track traffic without using active radar.
Saronic reported that the same vessel was used throughout the evaluations and that the tests were conducted consecutively, demonstrating the reliability and efficiency of this vessel.
Dino Mavrakis, one of the founders and CEO of Saronic, stated: "Marauder took less than a year from initial design to being in the water, and this evaluation showed that this platform performs well under the Navy's most challenging tests." However, Saronic has not disclosed the value of the production contract, and it is unclear how many Marauder vessels are included in this contract.
Marauder is described as an autonomous vessel capable of carrying up to 150 tons of modular payload. According to specifications released by Saronic, this vessel has a range of 5,400 nautical miles and a maximum speed of over 25 knots.
Future Dimensions of Saronic and Other Projects
This production contract gives Saronic a strong position in the larger unmanned fleet of the Navy, as this service seeks to transition unmanned vessels from testing programs to operational use. Saronic also has a production contract for a smaller 24-foot autonomous surface vessel named Corsair, which was used in military operations against Iranian maritime infrastructure in Bandar Abbas earlier this year.
In this context, Saronic is moving towards building larger vessels for the Navy. The company has recently been selected along with two other companies for prototype agreements to construct LCU 1700 landing craft. These three agreements include an initial construction commitment valued at approximately $280.5 million.
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