Blue Ops, West Palm Beach, Fla., has expanded its uncrewed surface vessel lineup with two new platforms while renaming its Variant 7 USV as the B-26 under a new B-Series designation system.
The Red Cat Holdings, South Salt Lake, Utah, maritime division introduced the 18' B-18 and 39' B-39 on Oct. 22. Blue Ops said both vessels are available for orders, with the B-18 completing sea trials and the B-39 already in low-rate production.
The B-Series naming system identifies each vessel by its approximate length in feet. The lineup now consists of the B-18, B-26 and B-39, giving Blue Ops platforms aimed at missions ranging from tactical reconnaissance and one-way attack to persistent maritime defense and logistics.
The B-18 is designed as a smaller tactical platform for reconnaissance, shipboard launch and recovery, and one-way attack missions. Blue Ops said the vessel was developed with U.S. Navy requirements in mind, including potential deployment from Littoral Combat Ships.
The vessel uses a Modular Open Systems Approach, or MOSA, architecture intended to support different hardware and mission payloads. Blue Ops said the B-18 reached the order stage ahead of its original schedule after completing sea trials.
At the other end of the new lineup, the 39' B-39 is intended for longer-duration maritime operations requiring greater range, endurance and payload capacity. The vessel is based on an established commercial platform and is designed to accommodate sensors, mission-specific payloads and interoperable command-and-control systems.
Blue Ops said the B-39 is suited for persistent maritime surveillance, integrated defense and logistics missions. The company is positioning the commercial foundation of the vessel as a way to support faster production and fielding while retaining a modular architecture for different mission requirements.
The B-26, previously marketed as Variant 7, remains the company's flagship USV and is in full-rate production. The renaming brings the existing platform into the same length-based system as the two newly introduced vessels.
Red Cat launched Blue Ops in 2025 and has since expanded USV manufacturing at its Valdosta, Ga., production facility. The company is developing the maritime platforms alongside Red Cat's uncrewed aerial systems as part of a broader family of autonomous systems.
“The Navy doesn't need examples of what autonomous vessels might deliver years from now. It needs affordable, reliable systems that perform in real-world conditions and are available today,” Blue Ops President Barry Hinckley said. “From one-way attack and tactical reconnaissance to maritime defense and logistics, our B-Series vessels are designed to meet immediate operational needs.”
