Saronic breaks ground on new Port Alpha shipyard in Texas
The shipyard is being built from the ground up in Brownsville, Texas.
The shipyard is being built from the ground up in Brownsville, Texas.
The contracts come as the Navy expands its marketplace for unmanned systems and moves into the second phase of the MUSV program.
The shipyard will focus on both defense and commercial vessels, the company announced today.
The firms said a maritime launch demonstration is slated for 2027.
The new construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
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.
Explore how software, edge AI and resilient connectivity can strengthen military logistics in contested environments. Join Breaking Defense on Oct. 21 and earn 1 CPE credit.
The vessels are the fifth and sixth autonomous drones the relatively new defense company has unveiled in recent years.
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.
The announcement comes off a $600 million Series C funding round led by entrepreneur and angel investor Elad Gil.
“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.”
The company plans to make "hundreds" of the new drone starting next year, which CEO Dino Mavrookas wants to be available once Navy contracting "catches up."
The funding round was led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
“We are in active conversations with many of the stakeholders who are relevant to things like Replicator and we’re excited to collaborate with the government when the time is right,” Saronic exec Rob Lehman told Breaking Defense.