Robotic Warfare News Desk
The U.S. Navy has awarded Saildrone a $16.3 million task order to extend operations of the company’s Voyager unmanned surface vehicles in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, expanding the Navy’s use of the systems for an expanded counternarcotics mission. The California-based company’s vehicles have worked in coordination with the Navy since 2023, supporting the Joint Interagency Task Force South and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Navy Fourth Fleet. The award follows the recent use of a Saildrone Voyager during a Caribbean drug interdiction that resulted in the seizure of more than $81 million worth of cocaine. The 33-foot unmanned surface vehicle directly aided the operation, according to the release described by Defense News. The task order will extend Voyager operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, where narcotics allegedly flow into the United States via drug-carrying vessels. The Navy’s expanded use of the vehicles comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to curb illicit narcotics entering the country. Since September 2025, the U.S. military has conducted strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean as part of what the Pentagon has called continuing counternarcotics efforts. As of June 22, the administration and military had disclosed 66 strikes that killed at least 196 people. Saildrone’s Voyager is designed for persistent surface and subsurface surveillance. The release also identifies nearshore mapping and seafloor characterization among the vehicle’s capabilities. The systems can remain “on mission and on station” for months at a time, according to Saildrone. Company President John Mustin said the fleet’s ability to remain deployed for extended periods supports its use in critical regions. “The continuity of Saildrone’s presence along the southern border for nearly three years demonstrates the strategic value we bring as the world’s most experienced operators of unmanned surface vehicles,” Mustin said. “Our unmatched ability to remain on station and on mission in critical regions for months at a time is why our fleet serves as a powerful deterrent to bad actors.” Saildrone said its vehicles support the Navy’s mission to secure the country’s maritime approaches and southern border. The company’s unmanned surface vehicles have operated in coordination with the U.S. Navy, the Joint Interagency Task Force South and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Navy Fourth Fleet since 2023. The new task order extends the Navy’s use of the Voyager fleet in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific as the service pursues its counternarcotics mission. The award links the unmanned vehicles to a continuing maritime operation that combines persistent surveillance with efforts to interdict vessels suspected of carrying narcotics. Saildrone’s announcement describes the Voyager as a platform intended to operate for months at a time while conducting surface and subsurface surveillance. Its stated capabilities also include nearshore mapping and seafloor characterization, giving the vehicle a range of functions identified in the company’s description of the system. The recent Caribbean interdiction provides the clearest operational example cited in connection with the task order: a Voyager directly aided an operation that produced a cocaine seizure valued at more than $81 million. The Navy’s decision to extend the fleet’s operations places the vehicles within the broader U.S. response to alleged narcotics flows in waters surrounding the country’s southern maritime approaches.