The Sea-Air-Space 2025 – Autonomous Boats / Rov Edition
The Sea-Air-Space 2025 – Autonomous Boats / Rov Edition
The Sea-Air-Space 2025 exposition, held from April 7–9 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, spotlighted the rapid evolution of unmanned and autonomous maritime systems. This year’s event featured significant advancements in Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), reflecting the growing emphasis on integrating autonomous technologies into naval operations.
The first day’s rain did not slow the crowds at all and by noon several thousand had flocked to this year’s event. It was packed almost shoulder to shoulder in the main expo hall if you can believe it, with thousands of whispers of the “threats” and “competition” growing to an all time high. It brought out every type to our Nation’s Capital, to discuss US Naval innovation including autonomous boats. Absent this year were any Chinese booths, but certainly a few nationals were in the crowd. Your humbled author was out behind the convention center checking the boats out at the docks.
AEVEX Aerospace: Introducing the Mako and BiB USVs
AEVEX Aerospace unveiled its latest USVs—the Mako and the Boat in a Box (BiB). The Mako is a fully autonomous vessel designed for diverse naval missions, including kinetic payload delivery, logistics support, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks. The BiB offers a modular, rapidly deployable USV solution, emphasizing flexibility and ease of transport. Both systems underscore AEVEX’s commitment to advancing autonomous maritime capabilities.
The Mako was sitting by her lonesome when the author went out to the docks, sitting in her glory it seems as if the boat crews were more interested in the crewed boats and not the uncrewed. Who could blame them, if you have the dollars and some sense anyone who went out to the docks could have mustered up a ride. Of the boats this seemed to be the most viable for port security and close range operations. For sure this could compete in the Seadoo – Seadon’t Yeman Naval Warfare Olympics. But I bet you a pull off the old hookah that this costs the equivalent or an arms race to hell vs the Yemen Seadon’ts which cost the preverbal 10,000 coin. Your author heavily endorses this vehicle as an alternative to a carrier going down in the gulf sea to the Pirates of Red Waters… argh.
Oceaneering’s Freedom™ AUV: Advancing Subsea Operations
Oceaneering showcased its Freedom™ Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, highlighting features such as fully autonomous docking, data exchange and recharging, wide-area surveys, and orbital identification. These capabilities aim to enhance subsea operations, including the protection of critical national infrastructure and expeditionary seabed warfare.
Your author’s ancestors loved to chase treasure, Captain Thompson from Two Years Before the Mast was as mean a Thompson as they come. This ROV is a for sure a necessity for the bleak chance of gaining some submerged treasures to pick the gold from the bottom clean that is at 100M or less. Now modify this to include a robotic arm and now you can deploy mines right onto the side of a slow moving freighter. I guess those pirates alas will rob you blind before the US Navy could arrive. Best reread about the Seadon’ts above.
Picture Credit: Rob Thompson
Metal Shark’s HSMUSV: Factory-Built Autonomy
Metal Shark introduced its High-Speed Maneuverable Unmanned Surface Vessel (HSMUSV), a factory-built autonomous vessel equipped with proprietary hardware and software from its SharkTech division. The HSMUSV supports human-in-the-loop operations and integrates with various AI and navigation systems, offering real-time telemetry and remote control via secure communications.
Yarr wouldn’t want to deploy this in rough or high seas, so it would be best sticking close to shore, port ops, in a bayliner class of autonomy. Hang your flag and banner of choice from the mast just high enough for your weekend boaters to notice and pour their beers out and toss their doobies overboard. This would be right before the 5-0 (police) catch you having too much fun this summer on the back bay. Keep those Chinese tourists’ cameras away from our fleets finest, with these autonomous police cruisers. Your author says this is a Waterfront Law Enforcement Officer’s dream as you could operate it from the comforts of the department’s lounge, sending the rookies out to get their feet wet.
The Sea-Air-Space 2025 exposition highlighted the significant strides being made in unmanned and autonomous maritime technologies, reflecting a broader shift towards integrating these systems into modern naval strategies. Your author really thought the best of the best was represented here at the event. Although there was clear disappointment that there were no Yeman Pirates to show off their sub 10,000 coin class of Seadon’ts. How will we stop this emerging threat?
Stay tuned for Rob’s US Naval Counter Drone, The US Naval Autonomous Software and Hardware Editions coming soon as a debrief of Sea-Air-Space 2025.
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