Seasats, San Diego, a developer of long-endurance autonomous surface vessels (ASVs), has been selected to receive a $24 million award from the Department of Defense under the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program, the company announced Thursday.
The December 2025 award was made on the recommendation of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps and is intended to accelerate procurement, production, and scaling of Seasats’ autonomous maritime technologies. According to the company, the funding is aimed at delivering advanced maritime capabilities while reducing long-term costs.
APFIT was established in fiscal year 2022 by the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research & Engineering. The program provides procurement funding to small businesses and non-traditional defense partners whose technologies have completed development and are considered ready for rapid transition into operational use.
Seasats’ selection comes amid increased use of its ASVs by the Department of the Navy. Over the past year, the company has supported multiple Navy and Marine Corps efforts, including an $89 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract, rapid prototyping activities, and operational demonstrations in U.S. and allied waters. The Navy also recently used a Seasats Lightfish ASV for a transatlantic crossing described by the company as “record-setting.”
Mike Flanigan, CEO of Seasats, said, “This funding enables us to scale our production, which lowers long-term program costs. It also helps us to accelerate our efforts so that we can deliver a key capability to the warfighter faster. It's a win-win.”
Seasats has conducted publicly visible operations with U.S. Navy Task Force 59 in the Middle East and Task Force 66 in Europe, as well as an autonomous Pacific Ocean crossing that could be tracked publicly. The company has also supported scientific research missions off Australia and the United States and maritime security operations in Argentina.
The company is expanding its product lineup beyond its 11.4'x3.4' Lightfish ASV to include the 17'x5.9' Quickfish, a high-speed interceptor, and the Heavyfish, a heavy-lift, long-endurance platform expected to launch this fall. Seasats said both new platforms are based on the same technology stack developed and fielded through Lightfish operations.
