Autonomous Surface Vessel – The Defense Post

May- 2026 -

6 May

CUSV Reinvented: Textron Equips Its Naval Drone With ‘BRAWL’ Air Defense System

Textron Systems has turned its Common Unmanned Surface Vessel into a far more dangerous presence at sea, adding a new air defense capability designed to hunt down airborne threats.

6 May

Europe

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

ASELSAN Advances Maritime Strike With ‘TUFAN’ USV and ‘KILIÇ 200’ AUV

ASELSAN is expanding its push into autonomous naval warfare, showcasing a fresh lineup of unmanned systems that operate across both surface and underwater domains at SAHA 2026 in Istanbul.

Apr- 2026 -

29 April

Americas

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

New 38-Meter MUSV for US Military to Feature AI-Driven Autonomy

A push to strengthen maritime autonomy in defense is taking shape in the US, as Hanwha Defense USA and Magnet Defense partner to develop a medium uncrewed surface vessel.

24 April

Americas

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

One Operator, Multiple Platforms: US Firms Create Unified Control for Air, Sea Systems

Leidos and Havoc are advancing autonomous operations by developing a capability that enables a single operator to coordinate and control multiple platforms in contested environments.

21 April

Americas

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

30 Knots at Sea: Saildrone Reveals New USV Built for Anti-Submarine Warfare

California firm Saildrone is heading deeper into naval operations with a new long-range unmanned surface vessel designed to hunt submarines.

21 April

Americas

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink 10-44 mission successfully launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on Mar. 30, 2026. This was the 34th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, SES O3B mPOWER-A, PSN SATRIA, Telkomsat Merah Putih 2, Galileo L13, Koreasat-6A, and now 23 Starlink missions. (U.S. Space Force photo by Gwendolyn Kurzen)

Rojoef Manuel

Starlink Glitch Leaves US Navy Drone Boats Drifting: Report

A global outage in Elon Musk’s Starlink network disrupted US Navy drone tests, cutting communications and leaving approximately two dozen unmanned surface vessels adrift off California for nearly an hour.

16 April

Sea

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

A High-Risk Part of USV Ops Just Went Autonomous With Vestdavit’s ‘AutoHook’

A new robotic system from Fairbanks More Defense’s Vestdavit is aiming to reduce risk in the launch and recovery of unmanned surface vessels at sea.

15 April

Air

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

REGENT’s Hybrid Seaglider Skims Just Above the Waves in Breakthrough Test

REGENT’s Squire seaglider has demonstrated its ability to fly just above the waterline, skimming the surface in a recent test that pushes the hybrid platform closer to operational use.

Mar- 2026 -

26 March

Sea

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

New Zealand Rolls Out Jet-Powered USV With All-Electric Powertrain

New Zealand is expanding its naval capabilities with WHAI, an all-electric, jet-powered unmanned surface vessel designed for near-silent operation and a reduced thermal signature.

4 March

Americas