Kamikaze Drone Boats: The 6 Contractors Building the Navy's Autonomous Strike Fleet

Ukraine Changed Naval Warfare Forever. Now the Pentagon Is Writing Checks.

In October 2022, Ukraine attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet with a swarm of explosive-laden unmanned boats that cost less than a used pickup truck. By 2025, Ukrainian Magura V5 and Sea Baby drone boats had inflicted over $500 million in damage on Russian naval assets, sunk or disabled multiple warships, and fundamentally rewired how every navy on earth thinks about surface warfare.

The lesson was unmistakable: a $250,000 autonomous boat carrying 700 pounds of explosives can neutralize a $300 million warship.

The US Navy was paying attention. In the 18 months since, the Department of Defense has awarded over $1.1 billion in contracts to companies building autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) capable of surveillance, strike, and kamikaze-style interdiction missions. The Navy plans to field 11 medium unmanned surface vessels by 2027 and over 30 by 2030, with the ultimate goal of hundreds of autonomous craft operating alongside manned warships.

This is not a future concept. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan called it operating at "war-footing speed."

Here are the six companies winning the contracts to build America's autonomous strike fleet - and every federal dollar we can trace.

1. Saronic Technologies - $441M+ in Federal Awards

Headquarters: Austin, TX (shipyard in Franklin, LA)

Primary Platform: Corsair Autonomous Surface Vessel

Key Contract: $392M Navy production contract (December 2025)

Saronic is the breakout star of the naval drone market. Founded by a team of autonomy engineers, the company went from prototype to production contract in under 12 months - a timeline that would be considered impossible in traditional shipbuilding.

The Corsair Platform

The Corsair is a 24-foot modular autonomous surface vessel designed for blue-water operations:

The modular payload bay means the Corsair can be configured for surveillance one day and loaded with explosives or missile launchers the next. This is the closest American equivalent to Ukraine's Magura V5 - but faster, longer-range, and backed by Silicon Valley engineering.

Federal Contract Portfolio

Nearly $200 million was obligated immediately on the $392M contract. The Navy used Other Transaction Authority (OTA) to bypass traditional Federal Acquisition Regulations - a signal that speed matters more than process.

Why Saronic Matters

Saronic announced a $300 million expansion of its Franklin, Louisiana shipyard in late 2025, adding 300,000+ square feet of production space and 1,500 jobs. This is not a company building prototypes. This is a company scaling to mass-produce naval weapons systems.

Fed-Spend Insight: Saronic's contract velocity - $441M in awards within 18 months of founding - is among the fastest ramp-ups in modern defense procurement. Search Saronic's full contract history on Fed-Spend

2. Leidos - $422M+ in USV Awards

Headquarters: Reston, VA

Primary Platforms: Sea Hunter, Seahawk (MDUSV)

Key Contract: $248M autonomous systems design (October 2024)

While Saronic represents the startup disruptor, Leidos is the established defense prime that has been building autonomous vessels for the Navy since 2016. The company delivered the first four operational medium-displacement unmanned surface vessels in the Navy's inventory.

The MDUSV Fleet

Leidos has delivered four vessels to the Navy:

These are significantly larger than Saronic's Corsair - designed for extended autonomous operations lasting weeks or months at sea.

Federal Contract Portfolio

Navy Scale-Up Plans

The Navy announced it will deploy two MDUSVs operationally in 2026, with one integrating into a carrier strike group for the first time. The service plans to have 11 MDUSVs by 2027 and over 30 by 2030.

In January 2026, a Navy official told Breaking Defense that these vessels are "no longer experimental" - a significant shift from the R&D framing of previous years.

Fed-Spend Insight: Leidos holds the most operational USV experience of any contractor. Their $95M maintenance contract suggests the Navy expects these vessels to operate continuously. Search Leidos autonomous contracts on Fed-Spend

3. Seasats - $113M+ in Federal Awards

Headquarters: San Diego, CA

Primary Platforms: Lightfish ASV, Quickfish Interceptor

Key Contract: $89M SBIR Phase III IDIQ (September 2025)

Seasats represents the low-cost, high-volume approach to maritime drones. Their Lightfish autonomous surface vehicle costs approximately $250,000 per unit - roughly the same as a Ukrainian Magura V5 - and the company can produce 250 per year.

The Lightfish Platform

The Lightfish completed a 7,500+ mile autonomous Pacific crossing and performed successfully in NATO's BALTOPS 2025 exercises. This is the disposable ISR platform that can be deployed in swarms.

The Quickfish Interceptor

Unveiled in October 2025, the Quickfish is Seasats' high-speed combat variant:

Federal Contract Portfolio

The Quickfish has already been purchased by a US defense prime and adopted by Australia, the Philippines, and Japan for local manufacturing.

Fed-Spend Insight: Seasats' SBIR-to-production pathway is a textbook case of the small business pipeline working as intended. $250K per unit at 250/year means this is a volume play. Search Seasats contracts on Fed-Spend

4. HavocAI - 30+ Vessels Deployed, $85M in Venture Backing

Headquarters: San Diego, CA

Primary Platform: Atlas (100-foot autonomous vessel)

Key Funding: $85M Series B (October 2025)

HavocAI takes a different approach than the other players - they build large autonomous vessels (100-200 feet) that can carry significant weapons systems, not small drone boats. Think less "kamikaze" and more "autonomous warship."

Scale and Deployments

HavocAI has built over 30 operational vessels already deployed globally with the Department of Defense. The company has participated in 36 live demonstrations and remotely controlled 25 vessels worldwide - from the North Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific - from a single control center in San Diego.

Strategic Partnerships

HavocAI has assembled an extraordinary network of defense partnerships:

Funding and Investors

In-Q-Tel (the CIA's venture capital arm) and Lockheed Martin Ventures both invested in the Series B. When the intelligence community and the world's largest defense prime both invest in the same startup, the signal is clear.

Fed-Spend Insight: HavocAI's federal contract details are mostly classified or under OTA agreements that do not appear in standard FPDS data. The "dozens of vessels sold to the Department of War" represent significant undisclosed contract value. Search HavocAI on Fed-Spend

5. Saildrone - $50M+ in Federal Contracts

Headquarters: Alameda, CA

Primary Platforms: Voyager, Surveyor (20-meter)

Key Contract: $37M Coast Guard BPA

Saildrone is the best-known name in maritime drones, famous for their wind-powered ocean data vehicles. But the company has been pivoting hard into defense, and in January 2026 announced a partnership with Lockheed Martin to mount JAGM missile launchers on their 20-meter Surveyor platform.

That is a Joint Air-to-Ground Missile on an unmanned sailboat. Live-fire tests are scheduled for summer 2026.

Federal Contract Portfolio

Armed Saildrone: The Game Changer

The Saildrone-Lockheed partnership is significant because Saildrone's vessels are extremely low-cost to operate (wind-powered with solar backup) and can stay at sea for months. Adding missile capability turns a surveillance platform into a persistent armed presence that costs a fraction of a manned patrol vessel.

Fed-Spend Insight: Saildrone's contract portfolio spans three agencies (Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA), showing cross-government demand for autonomous maritime platforms. Search Saildrone contracts on Fed-Spend

6. MARTAC - The Speed Demon (Contract Values Undisclosed)

Headquarters: Melbourne, FL

Primary Platform: Devil Ray T38

Key Activity: First lethal USV test in the Middle East (October 2023)

MARTAC's Devil Ray T38 is the fastest autonomous surface vessel in the US military's arsenal and the closest thing to a true "kamikaze drone boat" in American inventory.

Devil Ray T38 Specifications

For reference, 100 knots on water is faster than most speedboats and approaching the speed of some helicopters. At that velocity with a 4,000-pound payload capacity, the Devil Ray can carry enough explosives to threaten any naval vessel afloat.

Combat Testing

During Exercise Digital Talon in the Arabian Gulf (October 2023), a Devil Ray T38 equipped with AeroVironment's Switchblade 300 loitering munitions conducted the first live-fire exercise from a USV in the Middle East. The autonomous boat identified mock hostile targets and launched precision-guided munitions that achieved direct hits.

This was conducted by Navy Task Force 59, the service's dedicated Unmanned and Artificial Intelligence unit operating in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility (Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea).

Approved Mission Profiles

Fed-Spend Insight: MARTAC's contracts are largely undisclosed, likely classified or buried in broader Navy R&D programs. The operational testing suggests significant investment. Search MARTAC on Fed-Spend

The Big Picture: Where the Money Is Going

Total Identified USV Contract Value by Contractor

The Navy's USV Roadmap

Market Projections

The unmanned surface vessel market is projected to reach $1.6-3.5 billion by 2030, growing at 12-21% CAGR. Defense represents 50-65% of total spending, meaning $800M-$2.3B in military USV spending annually by the end of the decade.

The Ukraine Factor

Everything happening in US naval drone procurement traces back to what Ukraine demonstrated in the Black Sea.

Ukraine's Magura V5:

Ukraine's Sea Baby:

By 2025, Ukraine had upgraded these platforms with decoy swarm technology (overwhelming Russian defenses with fake targets), R-73 air-to-air missiles (shooting down helicopters from a boat), and autonomous targeting that does not require constant operator control.

The Pentagon watched a country with 1/20th of the US defense budget revolutionize naval warfare with cheap autonomous boats. The current billion-dollar spending spree is the institutional response.

What to Watch Next

March 2026: New MUSV Program Solicitation

The Navy launched a new Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel Family of Systems program in March 2026, replacing the cancelled Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) program. Solicitations closed April 17, 2026, with on-water testing required by end of FY2026 and first production in FY2027.

This is the Navy's next major procurement wave. Every contractor on this list is likely competing.

Summer 2026: Armed Saildrone Live-Fire Tests

Saildrone and Lockheed Martin plan live-fire demonstrations of JAGM missiles launched from autonomous surface vessels. If successful, this proves the concept of a wind-powered armed drone that can loiter for months.

FY2027: First Production Contracts

The MUSV program's production phase begins in FY2027, which means contract awards in late 2026 or early 2027. These will be the largest autonomous vessel production contracts in US history.

How to Track This Space

The autonomous naval vessel market is moving faster than any defense procurement category we track. New contracts appear weekly, and the mix of OTA agreements, SBIR Phase III awards, and traditional FAR contracts means data is scattered across multiple systems.

Use Fed-Spend to:

The Navy is building a fleet of autonomous warships. The contracts are public. The question is whether you are watching.

Search autonomous vessel contracts on Fed-Spend | Set up USV contract alerts

FAQ: Kamikaze Drone Boats and Navy USV Contracts

What is a kamikaze drone boat?

A kamikaze drone boat is an unmanned surface vessel (USV) loaded with explosives and designed to ram into a target, detonating on impact. Ukraine pioneered modern combat use of these weapons against Russian warships in the Black Sea. The US military is developing more sophisticated versions that can also carry missile launchers, surveillance equipment, and other modular payloads.

How much does the US Navy spend on autonomous surface vessels?

Based on publicly available contract data, the Navy has awarded over $1 billion in autonomous surface vessel contracts since 2024, with the majority going to Saronic Technologies ($441M+), Leidos ($422M+), and Seasats ($113M+). Additional classified and OTA contracts likely push the total significantly higher.

Which companies build drone boats for the US military?

The six primary contractors are Saronic Technologies (Corsair), Leidos (Sea Hunter/Seahawk), Seasats (Lightfish/Quickfish), HavocAI (Atlas), Saildrone (Voyager/Surveyor), and MARTAC (Devil Ray T38). Emerging players include Hanwha Defense partnered with HavocAI for larger vessels.

What is the Navy's Replicator program?

The Replicator program is a DOD initiative launched in August 2023 to rapidly produce large quantities of autonomous weapons systems to counter China. It has funded purchases of unmanned watercraft, aerial drones, and anti-drone systems from multiple vendors using accelerated procurement authorities.

How fast can military drone boats go?

Speeds vary dramatically by platform. MARTAC's Devil Ray T38 can exceed 100 knots (115 mph). Saronic's Corsair and Seasats' Quickfish both exceed 35 knots. Saildrone's vessels are slower but can stay at sea for months using wind and solar power.

Are drone boats legal under international law?

Autonomous weapons systems are subject to the laws of armed conflict, including requirements for human oversight of targeting decisions. Current US military doctrine requires a "human in the loop" for lethal engagement decisions, though the level of autonomy is an active area of policy debate.