Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Stavroula Pabst
“Sinking warships with ‘kamikaze’-like strikes, attacking critical infrastructure, and ‘swarming’ together to overwhelm enemy defenses, Ukraine’s Magura drone boats have had success countering Russian naval forces in the Black Sea — despite its Navy’s markedly limited resources. These autonomous maritime vessels are having a moment, and the Pentagon and weapons industry alike want in on it. Flush with cash from venture capitalists and, increasingly, the DoD, which has awarded hundreds of millions in contracts to this end, defense-tech start-ups, including Saronic, BlackSea, and Blue Water Autonomy, have been building a new generation of myriad autonomous and semi-autonomous maritime vessels.” (10/20/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/autonomous-ships-military/