The U.S.-based Saronic has announced the acquisition of the Gulf Craft shipyard to build new Medium USVs (MUSVS) and its new 150-foot MUSV design, Marauder.
The new shipyard in Louisiana will serve as the construction hub of the firm's MUSV line, which is set to begin with the Marauder. The firm will invest $250 million in the new shipyard to set up its MUSV construction line.
Saronic's product portfolio includes smaller USVs named Spyglass (6 ft long, ISR missions), Cutlass (14 ft long, ISR missions and loitering munition capability), and Corsair (24 ft long, 1000 lbs payload capacity).
Overview of Marauder MUSV
Marauder is one of the MUSVs being worked on in the U.S. to support the manned ships that are becoming too expensive to produce in large quantities.
The MUSV, measuring 150 ft in length, can carry 40 tonnes of payload and operate for 30 days.
Saronic will use existing control and communications systems on its current line of USVs to quicken the development process. A production capacity of up to 50 MUSVs is planned for the newly acquired Gulf Craft shipyard.
Ultimate Plan of Saronic: Port Alpha
The endgame for Saronic's investments is the Port Alpha shipyard, which will provide an even bigger boost, as the firm states, as "hundreds of USVs per year" in capacity. The total investment for Port Alpha is expected to reach $2.5 billion, ten times the one on Gulf Craft.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
