US Navy Procures Textron Drone Boat for AUKUS Trials
The US Navy has purchased an unmanned surface vessel (USV) from Textron Systems for testing under AUKUS, a trilateral partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US.
AUKUS, announced in 2021, facilitates the joint development, exchange, and evaluation of next-generation crewed and uncrewed technologies aimed at bolstering national security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Textron’s deal included an order for its flagship Tsunami USV alongside engineering services and training support.
The boat will be handed over to the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, a San Diego-based US Navy command that leads studies on emerging technologies, including autonomous systems, with potential applications across all warfighting domains.
“The Tsunami craft provide the Navy with a rapidly deployable, fully autonomous solution to support their missions,” Textron Systems Air, Land and Sea Systems SVP David Phillips stated.
“Our expertise in designing and fielding trusted autonomous solutions results in a family of USVs that are scalable, modular in design and globally sustainable, allowing for maximum mission flexibility in an attritable system.”
The Tsunami USV
Textron’s award came just under a year after the Tsunami’s unveiling in January 2025, where it was introduced as a “low-cost, rapidly deployable” platform based on Brunswick Corporation’s commercial hull.
Tsunami is powered by Textron’s in-house Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle autonomy suite and runs on gasoline.
The vessel can operate in Sea State 4 conditions, handling waves from 4.1 to 8.2 feet (1.25 to 2.5 meters). It also has a range of over 1,000 nautical miles (1,852 kilometers/1,151 miles), maintaining effectiveness over long distances.
The drone boat has a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) and is available in 24, 25, and 28-foot (7.3, 7.6, and 8.5-meter) hull variants.
Textron confirmed its first Tsunami USV sale to the US Navy in May, which included the delivery of a 24-foot configuration to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Virginia.
