More than $350 million will be spent equipping the U.S. Coast Guard with a range of new robotic and autonomous uncrewed systems to expand its capabilities.
Among the new systems set to be acquired are 125 SkyDio X10D uncrewed aerial systems (UAS); 16 VideoRay Defender remotely operated vehicles (ROVs); and six Qinetiq Squad Packable Utility Robots (SPURs) and 12 mini-SPUR robots to replace the service’s existing outdated uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs).
More than $11 million will be made immediately available for upgrading autonomous systems during the remainder of 2025, as per a recent press statement.
The service’s ’s first Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) programme executive officer Anthony Antognoli commented: “These unmanned systems provide increased domain awareness, mitigating risk and enhancing mission success as the Coast Guard continues to operate in hazardous environments.”
He added: “The Coast Guard’s mission demands agility, awareness and adaptability. Robotics and autonomous systems deliver all three, enabling us to respond faster, operate smarter and extend our reach where it matters most.
“We are not waiting for the future to arrive. We are delivering it to the fleet today.”
It’s anticipated that the UAS will prove useful in a variety of roles including everything from ice surveys and pollution monitoring to infrastructure and post-storm inspections.
The new ROVs will also aid waterfront, hull, and pier inspections, as well as coming in handy on search and rescue (SAR) and disaster response missions, taking some of the pressure off Coast Guard divers.
Coast Guard Strike Teams are tasked with responding to a variety of incidents including hazardous materials spills, major casualty accidents, natural disasters, and chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incidents.
Among other things, they will be able to use the new UGVs to access and take air samples in confined spaces aboard commercial vessels.
- You can read more details on the U.S. Coast Guard website