Maritime Tactical Systems Inc. (Martac), Melbourne, Fla., said in a press release released Nov. 9 that it delivered two Devil Ray T38 unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to the Philippine Marine Corps and opened a support center in the Philippines to train crews and maintain the boats.
The delivery follows the Philippine armed forces’ receipt of one Devil Ray T38 and four all-electric Mantas T12 USVs in mid-2024. Martac says the T38 can serve as a mothership, launching and recovering smaller unmanned vessels such as the T12.
The T38 catamaran can carry up to 4,000 lbs. of payload and operate under direct operator control or autonomously, according to Martac. Its open architecture allows it to carry equipment for missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, mine countermeasures and logistics.
In August, Martac and the U.S. Navy demonstrated at-sea refueling with a Navy-owned T38 off Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va. A robotic device developed by Sealartec and towed behind the training support vessel USNS Vindicator (TSV 5) captured the T38 and connected it for fuel transfer while underway.
