Gecko Robotics has secured a five-year US Navy contract worth up to $71 million to strengthen fleet sustainment through advanced inspection technologies. The agreement will see the company deploy autonomous robots and AI tools to monitor and assess ship conditions, beginning with 18 vessels assigned to the Pacific Fleet. Designed as a government-wide contract, it also allows other US defense services to adopt the same solutions.
The contract supports the navy’s broader goal of achieving 80 percent fleet readiness, a target that has proven difficult due to aging platforms, labor shortages, and persistent maintenance delays. Gecko’s systems utilize climbing robots, aerial drones, and fixed sensors to scan key ship structures, collecting high-resolution data for analysis.
Artificial intelligence processes this information to identify damage, corrosion, and structural weaknesses while forecasting future maintenance needs. This method accelerates inspections and reduces dependence on time-intensive manual processes and drydock scheduling. According to naval data, robotic inspections not only shorten timelines but also improve detection accuracy.
The company has contributed to maintenance across various naval assets, including surface combatants, amphibious vessels, aircraft carriers, and submarine programs like the Virginia and Columbia classes. In a notable case, early detection during a robotic flight deck inspection helped prevent delays exceeding three months, demonstrating the system’s operational value.
