Lockheed Martin to invest $50M into Saildrone, plans to equip USVs with missile launchers
This announcement is “transformational for us,” Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins told Breaking Defense in an interview today.
‘Be uncomfortable’: Navy wants new USV to challenge the ‘status quo’
In an exclusive interview with Breaking Defense, two senior Navy officials said they’re willing to accept some industry friction and take “calculated risks” to get the Modular Attack Surface Craft program right.
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How warfighters communicate when their missions are beyond visual line of sight
Standoff capability means warfighters stay connected and remain remotely located in a safer environment while making it harder for adversaries to target them.
Defense Innovation Unit seeks undersea drone capable of ‘long-range’ payload deployment
The new solicitation broadly outlines what Navy leaders for years have sought from unmanned vehicles: multi-purpose trucks capable of carrying any payload of their choosing.
Saildrone taps retired 3-star admiral John Mustin as president
Mustin served in the US Navy for 34 years and retired in September 2024.
Saildrone, Palantir partner to use AI to streamline USV manufacturing, operations
“Leveraging Palantir’s sophisticated manufacturing and AI tools will allow us to streamline manufacturing and radically enhance fleet capabilities,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone’s CEO
Navy’s 4th Fleet to start operation focused on unmanned systems countering illicit trafficking
“Southern Spear will operationalize a heterogeneous mix of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) to support the detection and monitoring of illicit trafficking while learning lessons for other theaters,” said Cmdr. Foster Edwards, 4th Fleet’s hybrid fleet director.
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Keeping sensitive information safe in a new AI era
Why edge and endpoint security can’t be an afterthought.
Textron unveils new family of USVs dubbed Tsunami
“We look out across the market and evaluate our customers' emerging needs,” David Phillips, a company executive, told reporters. "We’ve been hearing an increased expression of interest in a small, rapidly deployable unmanned surface vehicle that can support a variety of missions beyond mine countermeasures.”
In expansion, Austal USA undergoes ‘unique evolution’ beyond a two-trick shipbuilder
The Alabama-based Navy shipbuilder has spent its first 20 years focused on two major ship programs. That's rapidly, and loudly, changing.
Mullen, former Joint Chiefs chairman, to lead board for unmanned tech firm Saildrone
The recruitment of a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a major win for Saildrone, which has been building its profile in US Navy circles since 2020.
Navy’s progress towards unmanned operations: 5 Stories from 2022
The US Navy laid out its unmanned strategy at the start of the year, and these stories show some strides the service has taken.
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Data overload threatens decisionmakers as autonomy expands
Reducing cognitive overload on warfighters while improving “time to trust” for autonomous systems is a matter of design.
3 weeks, 15 unmanned systems: Navy launches ‘Digital Horizon’ exercise in Middle East
The event will feature 15 unmanned systems, 10 of which will be operating with the Navy in US 5th Fleet for the first time.
Saildrone CEO says Iranian interference was valuable experience, not a surprise
"If someone takes it, good luck. Keep it, it's worthless. We’ve got hundreds of them," said Richard Jenkins, chief executive officer of Saildrone.
Iranian navy nabs 2 American sailing drones, dumps them overboard: Iranian media
The incident comes just two days after an IRGC Navy support ship seized and then released a similar drone.
Iranian ship intercepted while trying to detain American drone
The encounter ended peacefully following multiple attempts by a US ship to contact the Iranian crew.