U.S. fields uncrewed drone boats in Gulf
The U.S. has deployed uncrewed drone boats (GARC-class) for surveillance and patrol missions in the Persian Gulf—marking a step from prototyping to operational naval autonomy. The move highlights maturity in autonomy, comms, and endurance for maritime uncrewed systems. (defensenews.com)
Pentagon figures released to reporters say GARC boats have logged “over 450 underway hours” and covered more than 2,200 nautical miles in support of “Operation Epic Fury.” (defensenews.com) A Pentagon spokesperson, Tim Hawkins, identified the unmanned vessels as being built by Maryland-based BlackSea in official comments to reporters. (defensenews.com) Earlier Navy and industry reporting lists the GARC as a 16-foot platform produced by Maritime Applied Physics Corp. and shows the Defense Department has obligated more than $160 million toward the program. (defensescoop.com) The Navy has stated a production target of roughly 32 GARC systems per month as part of a scale-up, and Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron Three (USVRON‑3) has received initial deliveries to stand up operational squadrons. (defensescoop.com) Public technical listings place the craft at about 16 feet (≈5 m) in length, with published performance figures including top speeds above 35 knots and endurance claims of several hundred nautical miles depending on speed and load. (navy.mil, defence-blog.com) Reporting from Reuters and defense outlets notes prior GARC test problems, including a high‑speed collision during testing and at least one GARC becoming inoperable during a recent Middle East trial. (defensenews.com) The GARC effort has been folded into broader Navy modernization drives—cited alongside Project 33 and other initiatives aimed at scaling robotic and autonomous systems across the fleet by 2027. (defensescoop.com)
