Louisiana-based boatbuilder Metal Shark, a supplier for the U.S. Armed Forces and allies, and Tocaro Blue, Pensacola, Fla., a developer of AI-powered marine sensor processing solutions, have announced a strategic collaboration to embed Tocaro Blue’s ProteusCore radar processing software into Metal Shark’s fleet of High Speed Maneuverable Unmanned Surface Vessels (HSMUSVs).
ProteusCore provides operators with advanced radar data fusion, machine learning based object detection and classification, and real-time target tracking, improving ISR and operational safety in maritime environments. The software will be integrated directly into Metal Shark’s SharkTech autonomous technology stack, with the new sensing capabilities available across the HSMUSV fleet.
Tocaro Blue and Metal Shark executives meeting at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans in December 2025. Tocaro Blue photo
The Metal Shark HSMUSV is a 21' unmanned military craft designed to offer the U.S. Armed Forces and allies a low-cost multi-payload USV solution that can be rapidly produced and quickly fielded to meet emergent needs. HSMUSV comes factory-equipped with Metal Shark’s proprietary SharkTech autonomous technology stack, a hardware and software-agnostic system enabling unmanned, human-in-the-loop operation and supporting interface with other COLREGS, ATR, and AI software packages.
“The interoperability of the HSMUSV platform and SharkTech autonomy stack have been thoroughly proven this year through participation in multiple exercises on both sides of the Atlantic,” Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard said in a statement announcing the collaboration. “By incorporating Tocaro Blue’s ProteusCore technology, we’re taking another step toward an intelligent vessel ecosystem, enabling our customers to make faster, data-driven decisions in critical situations."
A Metal Shark High Speed Maneuverable Unmanned Surface Vessel (HSMUSV) in the Potomac River during the Sea Air Space naval symposium in National Harbor, Md., in April 2025. Metal Shark photo
ProteusCore automates all aspects of using radar for unmanned and autonomous vessel operations. By embedding ProteusCore directly within the SharkTech autonomy stack, operators gain a unified maritime operating picture that enhances decision-making and improves threat awareness across complex environments.
“Tocaro Blue designed ProteusCore to unlock mission-critical perception capabilities in commercial off the shelf marine radars,” said John Minor, CEO of Tocaro Blue. “We’re excited to team up with an industry leader like Metal Shark to deliver advanced capabilities to our uation’s unmanned maritime defense assets.”
