American drone boat builder Magnet Defense has this week begun production of its 157-foot M48 autonomous uncrewed surface vessel (USV).
The Miami-based defence technology start-up, founded in 2023, said in a press statement the first M48 would be completed and ready to deliver to customers from halfway through 2027. Each platform is expected to cost in the region of $30 million, with the precise sum dependent on mission specifications.
The fully autonomous 48-metre catamaran has a range of up to 17,000 nautical miles. It has a payload capacity of 100 tons and can accommodate up to four standard ISO containers. It’s controlled via Magnet’s proprietary DriveAI navigational autonomy suite.
Although designed to cruise at 15 knots, it has a top speed of 27 knots, and can be configured for a range of mission types including air and missile defense, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare, search and rescue, and logistics.
The firm claimed the USV will be able to “self-deploy from San Diego to the Arabian Gulf, unassisted and without refuelling.”
It noted: “The M48 represents a new class of medium-sized, combat-capable autonomous surface vessels designed for sustained operations in open ocean environments.”
The firm’s CEO Marc Bell added: “The M48 is not a conceptual system. It is a proven capability that has operated in the real world, in real conditions. Beginning production means warfighters and mission partners can soon access that capability.”
The firm said its test prototype had successfully sailed more than 40,000 nautical miles across more than 1,000 days at sea, adding that the switch to production marked “a pivotal milestone as the M48 transitions from an operationally validated prototype programme to a production platform.”
- You can read more details on the Magnet Defense website