
Maritime Defense Companies in the United States
Uncrewed surface and undersea vessels, the autonomy that runs them and the yards that build them. The Navy wants a hybrid fleet with large numbers of uncrewed ships, and US shipbuilding capacity is a known bottleneck, which is where several of the best-funded startups are aiming. Together they have disclosed $3.4B in funding, led by Saronic (~$2.6B). The newest round on record is Corridian's Seed (Nov 2026).
Autonomous reconnaissance craft in the Baltic Sea, BALTOPS 2025. Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan LeCompte, Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Navy).
Latest rounds
| Date | Company | Round | Amount | HQ | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | Corridian | Seed | $38M | Boston, MA | Maritime |
| May 2026 | HavocAI | Series A | $100M | Providence, RI | Maritime |
| Apr 2026 | Ulysses | Series A | $38M | San Francisco, CA | Maritime |
| Mar 2026 | Saronic | Series D | $1.75B | Austin, TX | Maritime |
| Feb 2026 | Seasats | Series A | $20M | San Diego, CA | Maritime |
| Dec 2025 | Vatn Systems | Series A | $60M | Bristol, RI | Maritime |
| Oct 2025 | Saildrone | Corporate round | $50M | Alameda, CA | Maritime |
| Oct 2025 | Albacore | Seed | $6.5M | Philadelphia, PA | Maritime |
| Sep 2025 | Blue Water Autonomy | Series A | $50M | Boston, MA | Maritime |
All companies
Full directoryCorridian
Boston, MassachusettsBuilds ultra-large autonomous underwater vehicles that haul containerized payloads over thousands of nautical miles for undersea logistics.
HavocAI
Providence, Rhode IslandDevelops autonomy software and fleets of autonomous surface vessels for naval missions, with collaborative control across sea, air and ground platforms.
Ulysses
San Francisco, CaliforniaBuilds low-cost Mako underwater drones, the Leviathan surface mothership and the Kraken recovery system for ocean ISR and seabed missions.
Saronic
Austin, TexasBuilds autonomous surface vessels from small attritable craft to larger ships, with autonomy software and a dedicated shipyard for the US Navy and allies.
Seasats
San Diego, CaliforniaBuilds small solar-electric uncrewed surface vehicles, including long-endurance Lightfish and Quickfish boats, for maritime surveillance and security.
Vatn Systems
Bristol, Rhode IslandBuilds the Skelmir family of low-cost autonomous underwater vehicles that double as lightweight torpedoes, with GPS-free inertial navigation.
Saildrone
Alameda, CaliforniaBuilds wind and solar powered uncrewed surface vehicles, from the Explorer to the larger Surveyor and Voyager, for maritime surveillance and ocean data.
Albacore
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaY Combinator-backed maker of Ghostfin, an 8-foot autonomous mini-submarine with a 250-pound payload and about 1,000 nautical miles of range.
Blue Water Autonomy
Boston, MassachusettsBuilds long-range, fully autonomous ships of 100 to 150 feet designed from the keel up for US Navy fleet missions.
Terradepth
Austin, TexasCombines autonomous underwater vehicles with Absolute Ocean, a platform that fuses sonar and ocean data for near-real-time seabed intelligence.
Sea Machines Robotics
Boston, MassachusettsMakes autonomy and remote command systems that convert crewed vessels into uncrewed boats, plus the STORMRUNNER autonomous craft.
Questions
Who are the biggest maritime defense companies in the US?
By disclosed funding among the companies we track: Saronic, Saildrone, HavocAI and Vatn Systems, as of November 14, 2026.
How many maritime defense companies are in the US?
Our directory lists 11 privately held US maritime startups as of November 14, 2026. Large primes and public companies are not included.