The U.S. Navy has awarded defense technology firm Saronic, Austin, Texas, a $392 million production contract for its Corsair autonomous maritime vessels, with nearly $200 million obligated at the time of award. The announcement was made at the Reagan National Defense Forum, where Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said the deal reflects a new benchmark for rapid defense procurement.
According to Phelan, the Navy moved from prototype development to production in less than 12 months, a timeline far shorter than typical shipbuilding and acquisition programs. “The Navy isn’t admiring problems from the sidelines, we’re moving at war-footing speed. With Saronic, we went from prototype to production in under a year. That’s rapid innovation, real competition, and combat power in sailors’ and marines’ hands, not on PowerPoints,” Phelan said in a statement on social media.
The contract focuses on Saronic’s Corsair platform, a 24' modular autonomous surface vessel capable of carrying roughly 1,000 lbs. over 1,000 nautical miles and achieving speeds greater than 35 knots. Saronic describes Corsair as suitable for blue-water missions ranging from maritime domain awareness to kinetic and non-kinetic strike roles.
The vessels are intended to support what Phelan characterized as a “hybrid manned–unmanned Fleet,” emphasizing fielded hardware and competitive procurement.
Saronic said its ability to transition Corsair into high-rate production resulted from internal investment in manufacturing capacity. Last week, the company announced a $300 million expansion of its Franklin, La., shipyard. The project will add more than 300,000 sq. ft. of production space and is expected to create 1,500 jobs in coordination with state and local partners.
The Louisiana facility — acquired from shipbuilder Gulf Craft earlier this year — is the development and production center for Marauder, another Saronic autonomous vessel that advanced from initial design to full development in six months. The platform has since grown to an 180' configuration designed for increased payload and operational range.
“We are proud to partner with the U.S. Navy to rapidly field advanced autonomous maritime capabilities. From day one, we built our company around rapid innovation and scaled manufacturing, enabling us to transition Corsair from prototype to fielded capability in high-rate production in under a year,” the company said in a statement.
“We approached the Navy with a proven capability and found a partner committed to testing, adopting, and procuring new technologies at scale,” the company continued. “Because we have invested heavily in our own production infrastructure and capacity, we can deliver these new capabilities at the speed and quantity the mission requires.”
Saronic said the Navy contract reflects broader shifts in federal acquisition policy aimed at opening procurement channels to nontraditional defense suppliers and accelerating fielding of commercial-derivative technologies.
Defense officials have emphasized the need to pair acquisition reform with domestic production capacity.
