Saronic has secured a $392 million production contract from the US Navy to manufacture its Corsair autonomous surface vessel.
About $200 million will be disbursed at the start of the program, with all vessels slated for completion within a year.
The award highlights a wider Department of Defense effort to dramatically compress acquisition timelines and rapidly field next-generation unmanned capabilities.
Originally conceived for the Pentagon’s Replicator program, the Corsair is part of a plan to deploy swarms of thousands of expendable unmanned platforms aimed at deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
US Navy officials note that the design focuses on extending the reach of manned naval forces while lowering operational risk to personnel.
At 24 feet long, the Corsair ranks as Saronic’s fourth-largest autonomous surface vessel, following the larger Marauder, Cipher, and Mirage platforms.
The vessel offers an unrefueled range of up to 1,000 nautical miles at speeds above 35 knots, while supporting payloads of up to 1,000 pounds.
Corsair is engineered for diverse mission sets, ranging from maritime surveillance and domain awareness to the delivery of both kinetic and non-kinetic effects.
