Saronic launches second Marauder autonomous ship in Louisiana
What's the deal? Saronic Technologies has put its second Marauder autonomous ship in the water at its shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana, with the vessel now running under its own power. Chief executive Dino Mavrookas said in a post on 3 November 2026 that the second hull took 8% fewer labour hours to build than the first. The Marauder is a 150-foot (46-metre) medium uncrewed surface vessel designed to operate autonomously or under remote supervision without a crew on board, and can exceed 25 knots.
Why it matters: The launch continues Saronic's push to industrialise USV production: the company is targeting output of 20 Marauders a year from the Franklin yard it acquired in 2025. It follows the US Navy's September 2026 production agreement for ten Marauder ships under its Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel marketplace, with deliveries potentially starting as early as fiscal 2027, and the fielding of Saronic's smaller Corsair vessels with US, British and Australian forces under AUKUS trials.
Read more: Defence Blog
