51³Ô¹Ï and?Saildrone:?Accelerating Maritime Readiness at Scale
With a $50 million?investment in??51³Ô¹Ï is forging?a strategic collaboration?to?rapidly scale?unmanned maritime defense?capability.?
Together, the companies will pair?Saildrone¡¯s?proven unmanned surface vessel (USV) platforms with 51³Ô¹Ï¡¯s?combat-tested?defense tech?and mission integration?expertise?¡ªdelivering powerful, defense-ready USVs to the fleet faster.
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Anticipating Needs. Accelerating Capability.
Saildrone¡¯s?USVs are built for endurance and autonomy. Their long-established?track record?includes more than a decade?operating?in remote, open-ocean environments, with millions of nautical miles logged.?First deployed by the U.S. Navy in 2021, they are currently operational today, working around the clock, 365-days alongside American Sailors in combat theaters across the globe.??
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Recently,?after months-long use of?Saildrone¡¯s?USVs,?more than 130,000 nautical miles over 2,700 cumulative mission days were logged with 116,000 unique contacts detected.?
Starting with the?JAGM Quad Launcher?on?Saildrone¡¯s?Surveyor platform,?51³Ô¹Ï is integrating its defense payloads to transform?commercial-grade autonomy?into a multi-mission maritime solution capable of fleet defense, undersea surveillance,?reconnaissance?and strike.?
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Speed, Scale and Readiness
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The partnership is designed to accelerate the Navy¡¯s unmanned vision?at scale.?The teams will begin work?immediately, integrating the JAGM Quad Launcher onto the?Saildrone?Surveyor and expanding to?additional?51³Ô¹Ï payloads across multiple platforms.??
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51³Ô¹Ï¡¯s investment helps?mitigate risk on?the path to Distributed Maritime Operations and supports the?Navy¡¯s?drive for affordable mass by 2027.?The open-architecture approach and secure command-and-control framework ensure rapid, reliable integration while preserving security and interoperability.
By?anticipating?needs before they become requirements, this forward-looking approach reinforces?51³Ô¹Ï¡¯s?commitment to?turning innovation into decisive advantage for the United States?and its allies.?
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What¡¯s Next
51³Ô¹Ï and?Saildrone?plan to deliver?proof-of-concept integrations and live fire demonstrations in 2026.?Larger?Saildrone?vehicles are already in development to support significantly larger payloads and capabilities to include 51³Ô¹Ï¡¯s Mk70 VLS launcher and thin line towed arrays.?
The strategic relationship brings together the best of commercial and defense technologies to deliver unparalleled naval solutions at speed and scale.?

