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A 155-pound drone submarine that two people can carry and toss off the edge of a dock dives 1,000 feet and works 30-hour missions hunting sea mines, and the Navy just placed its biggest order of them yet, with options that run the fleet to 200 vehicles

The Navy’s biggest order yet for 155‑lb drone submarines could see a fleet of 200 autonomous mine‑hunters in service.

By · Published October 5, 2026  07:30 UTC · Updated October 5, 2026  07:30 UTC

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Coverage (5)

What happened

⚡ Executive Intelligence Takeaways Corroborated across 5 independent newsrooms
  • Velocity & Diffusion: Coverage exploded across 5 distinct news outlets with 5 published articles, achieving a live velocity of 3.
  • Primary Driver: The Navy’s biggest order yet for 155‑lb drone submarines could see a fleet of 200 autonomous mine‑hunters in service.
  • Source Integrity: Verified strictly against primary headline reporting under zero-hallucination protocols.

Navy announced its largest order yet for 155‑pound portable drone submarines, a deal that could expand the fleet to 200 autonomous vehicles. The drones dive to 1,000 feet, operate for up to 30 hours and can be carried by two personnel to the dock edge before launch, where they autonomously locate and neutralise sea mines. DefenseScoop detailed a procurement of 30 vessels at an average price of $40 million, while USNI News reported a $1.2 billion agreement to build the fleet at three Louisiana shipyards.

HII’s contract for 10 ROMULUS unmanned surface vehicles, described by hii.com as accelerating deployment of proven autonomous capability, complements the submarine program. Saronic secured a production contract for the Marauder model, indicating parallel development of related unmanned systems. The contracts will keep the three Louisiana shipyards busy and deliver the Navy’s most extensive mine‑countermeasure fleet to date, benefiting both the service and the civilian manufacturers Saronic and HII.

Options embedded in the deal allow the Navy to raise the total to 200 vehicles, but delivery schedules were not disclosed. Future milestones will include prototype testing, serial production start dates and integration of the drones into operational mine‑hunting squadrons.

Synthesized by Archynetys from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: unsupported claims removed (89% supported) Updated 2h ago.

Questions people are asking

What are the main capabilities of the new drone submarines?

The submarines weigh 155 lb, can be carried by two people, dive to 1,000 feet, operate for up to 30 hours and autonomously hunt sea mines.

How many drone submarines does the Navy plan to acquire?

The Navy has a contract for 30 vessels with options that could raise the total fleet to 200 vehicles.

Which firms and shipyards are involved in building the drones?

Saronic received a production contract for the Marauder model, HII won a contract for 10 ROMULUS USVs, and three Louisiana shipyards will build the 30 drone ships under a $1.2 billion deal.

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Topics

U.S. Navy drone submarine MUSV Saronic HII ROMULUS

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