The Australian Department of Defence will invest AU$176 million (US$125 million) for the acquisition of a new fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The USVs will belong to the same series as 15 craft that were handed over earlier to the RAN. The newer USVs will be delivered over the next five years beginning in early 2026.
The craft will provide near-persistent, long-range surface and sub-surface intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in response to increasing maritime security threats.
The USVs will be powered by solar, wind and wave energy, thus enabling long-endurance operations while maintaining an acoustically quiet environment for improved underwater surveillance.
The design will allow each craft to operate across Australia's maritime domain while carrying sophisticated payloads, providing continuous low-observable surface and subsurface ISR capability.
The USVs will be capable of working in a teamed environment with other undersea and surface assets, creating an interoperable suite of capabilities for an integrated force.