AEVEX is producing and pursuing autonomous air, surface and subsea capabilities that can operate as a coordinated network in environments where navigation and communications are degraded, company executive Craig Anders said in an interview with Breaking Defense. The approach combines reconnaissance, one-way attack, logistics and other missions rather than treating each uncrewed platform as an isolated system.
The requirement is driven by a battlefield in which persistent surveillance exposes ships, aircraft and communications to attack. Anders said adversaries are deploying inexpensive systems at volume and scale while jamming the GPS and communications that conventional forces rely on. Autonomous systems, in AEVEX’s view, can extend operational reach, reduce the exposure of crewed platforms and continue contributing when traditional navigation and communications are unreliable.
The company’s argument centers on distributed capability. High-flying intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft could work with uncrewed surface vessels, while maritime platforms support one-way attack, security, mine-related missions and other effects. A semi-submersible platform called NightTrain is described as a low-visibility transport and delivery system. The former Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft, now called LYNX, is an uncrewed reconnaissance vessel designed to remain on station for long periods.
Anders said the experience of uncrewed-system operations in Ukraine and Iran has reinforced the need for affordability, resilience and rapid adaptation. Systems must be changed quickly as battlefield conditions shift, he said, with operators and engineers maintaining close connections. A production process that cannot incorporate those changes rapidly risks delivering equipment that is less useful by the time it reaches users.
That pressure also applies to military development timelines. Anders said research, development, test and evaluation must move at the pace of combat. He described future competition as largely an autonomy and software fight, while stressing that the software still requires a dependable vehicle, whether the platform operates in the air, on the surface or underwater.
AEVEX is pursuing that integration through its CompassX navigation and autonomy family, which the company describes as using modular hardware and software tailored to different platforms and missions. The goal is to give systems a common autonomy architecture and compatible interfaces so they can exchange information and coordinate more effectively. The approach is intended to connect capabilities across air, surface and subsea operations rather than rely on a single platform or mission type.
Potential missions cited by the company include ISR, non-kinetic effects, electronic warfare and attack, mine sweeping and mine neutralization, critical-infrastructure protection, and long-range logistics. Anders said a layered approach is important because sending isolated long-range one-way systems or leaving an uncrewed surface vessel to operate alone may not provide the information and coordination needed for a broader mission. Systems working together can pass information back for use across the force.
The company also says it is expanding its maritime capability through AEVEX Maritime Systems, the business formerly known as BlackSea Technologies. Anders said the division adds maritime engineering, vessel manufacturing and operational depth to AEVEX’s existing surface capabilities. Its portfolio includes one-way attack boats, reconnaissance and security vessels, mine-related systems and other maritime functions.
LYNX is identified as a U.S. Navy program of record. Anders said AEVEX has delivered 350 vessels and is revamping them to improve their communications and navigation capabilities, making the platform more adaptable in the current operating environment. He also cited more than 25,000 operational hours for the systems.
The operational case for linking the systems is not limited to adding more platforms. AEVEX says combining data from multiple vehicles could reveal patterns, support targeting and improve communications across common operating pictures. The company’s broader model includes the platforms, autonomy architecture and interfaces needed to coordinate them, as well as the concepts of operation, force structure, storage, forward support and sustainment required to keep affordable unmanned systems effective as conditions change.