Pentagon Issues Urgent Request for Robotic Boats to Deploy Drone Swarms in 120 Days
- Published
- Source
- leaderobot.com
The Pentagon has issued an urgent solicitation for the development of robotic boats capable of launching drone swarms within 120 days. This initiative, led by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) under the Department of Defense, aims to address the rising costs of modern warfare, where expensive naval vessels are increasingly vulnerable to cheaper unmanned threats.
The DIU's project, codenamed SWAP-USV, seeks solutions that can autonomously track and intercept asymmetric maritime threats, such as high-speed smuggling boats and semi-submersibles. The robotic boats must carry at least two small drones with a combined payload capacity of 2 kilograms (approximately 4.4 pounds) for kinetic strikes, emphasizing the need for cost-effective defense mechanisms in contested environments.
Looking ahead, the DIU has outlined a two-phase testing approach, with Sprint 1 requiring a fully mission-capable unmanned surface vehicle (USV) ready for testing within 29 days of selection, and a $40 million prize for successful solutions. The urgency of the 120-day timeline reflects the Pentagon's recognition of the need to adapt to evolving maritime threats and cost dynamics in warfare.
Original report
Pentagon's Urgent Call: Robotic Boats Must Launch Drone Swarms Within 120 Days
leaderobot.com · LeaderobotThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
Rights concerns? Contact [email protected] with the relevant URL and details. We will review the matter and take appropriate action where warranted.
More related news
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
-
5
RobotToday Weekly October 26 – 30, 2026 RobotToday · 1 day ago
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Related Suppliers
Teledyne e2v
United Kingdom
Teledyne e2v designs specialist CCD and CMOS image sensors, data converters, and hi-rel semiconductors for space, defense, and industrial markets.
Infinit Drones
Canada
Woodbridge, Ontario drone dealer selling DJI, Autel and Nested aircraft across Canada, plus its own Dock M400 for the DJI Matrice 400 and pilot training.
BlackSea Technologies
United States
BlackSea Technologies is a Baltimore defense company building GARC autonomous drone boats under a US Navy contract worth up to $213 million.
RoboTechnik 罗博特科智能科技股份有限公司
China
Suzhou maker, founded 2011, of robotic solar-cell, wafer and photonics production equipment; listed in Shenzhen and, from Sept 2026, Hong Kong.
Target Arm
United States
New Milford, Connecticut maker of Ralar robotic arms that catch, recharge and relaunch drones from moving vehicles; holds a USD 2M U.S. Army SBIR contract.
Cloud Century 云圣智能
China
Chinese provider of fully autonomous industrial drones and drone-in-a-box automated airports for unmanned inspection.
Project35
Israel
Project35 is an Israeli manufacturer of tactical UAVs, VTOL aircraft, and counter-UAS systems for defense and government clients.
R2 Wireless
Israel
R2 Wireless builds passive RF sensing systems that detect, classify, and geolocate drones and other wireless threats for defense and civilian clients.
Aerial Monitoring Solutions
South Africa
South African manufacturer of cost-effective custom UAVs designed for African conditions, including the Eagle Owl fixed-wing drone.
Gimbel Automation
United States
California integrator specializing in low-cost in-machine CNC tending automation using spindle grippers, pneumatic workholding and turnkey systems.
Beijing Jingpin Tezhuang Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 北京晶品特装科技股份有限公司
China
Beijing-listed (SSE: 688084) maker of electro-optical reconnaissance gear and military robots, including EOD and NBC-detection UGVs, since 2009.
Sky-Watch
Denmark
Danish manufacturer of combat-proven military UAS/ISTAR drones for European defence and NATO forces, part of AIRO Group Holdings since 2022.
Robotics needs a service framework.
RSF defines a common language for robot service capability, lifecycle operations, certification pathways, and service-provider networks.
Join the RobotToday community on LinkedIn
Daily robotics news, in-depth analysis, conference highlights, and discussions with professionals worldwide.
