Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics has secured a five-year contract to provide rapidly deployable vessel autonomy systems to US Special Operations Forces.
The contract allows orders to be placed as operational requirements arise.
Sea Machines will supply portable autonomy kits designed to convert different crewed vessels into remotely operated or autonomous platforms.
The equipment can be installed within hours, allowing forces to adapt locally available or temporarily acquired boats without the need to rely on purpose-built unmanned vessels.
Each kit uses the company’s autonomous command-and-control technology to manage a vessel’s navigation and mission functions.
These systems can support threat detection, tracking, and engagement while reducing risks to personnel and high-value naval assets.
According to Sea Machines, the system can be integrated with craft of varying sizes and performance characteristics.
Potential missions include expeditionary logistics, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and maritime security.
Fitted with the autonomy kit, the vessels could extend the reach of special operations forces at sea while reducing risks to crews and higher-value naval platforms.
Expanding Programs
The contract follows a period of rapid growth for Sea Machines and expands its role in defense autonomy programs.
In June, the company reported that sales bookings during the first part of this year were ten times higher than in the same period of 2025, driven by demand from defense and commercial operators in the US, Europe, and Asia.
Earlier in the year, Leonardo DRS selected Sea Machines’ 8-meter (26-foot) STORMRUNNER autonomous vessel to demonstrate a maritime counter-drone capability.
Powered by the company’s SM300-SP command-and-control system, the craft has a top speed exceeding 40 knots (74 kilometers/46 miles per hour), a range of more than 700 nautical miles (1,296 kilometers/805 miles), and space for modular payloads.
The demonstration will pair STORMRUNNER with Leonardo DRS’ maritime mission equipment package to detect, track, and counter aerial drones at sea.