As part of AUKUS-related trials, the US Navy has procured an unmanned surface vessel from Textron Systems, reinforcing efforts to advance autonomous maritime capabilities within the trilateral alliance of the US, UK, and Australia.
Established in 2021, AUKUS promotes cooperation on next-generation crewed and uncrewed platforms, enabling joint testing and evaluation to enhance defense readiness in the Indo-Pacific.
The agreement includes Textron’s Tsunami drone craft, supported by engineering services and training. The vessel will be transferred to the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific in San Diego, a key hub for the Navy’s research into autonomous and emerging technologies across all operational domains.
Textron’s selection follows the Tsunami’s debut in January 2025, when it was introduced as an affordable, fast-to-deploy USV derived from a commercial Brunswick hull design. Equipped with Textron’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle autonomy suite and gasoline engines, the platform can operate in Sea State 4, endure waves exceeding four feet, and travel more than 1,000 nautical miles.
With a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds, the Tsunami is offered in 24-, 25-, and 28-foot configurations. Textron earlier announced its first Tsunami delivery to the US Navy in May, supplying a 24-foot model to the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren, Virginia.
