robotic autonomous systems (RAS) Archives

A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) maneuvers in the Atlantic Ocean during UNITAS 2025, the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

Navy looking to emulate signals on maritime drones to train systems for Pacific Fleet

The Defense Innovation Unit is trying to aid the Navy via its Emulation Module for Unmanned Systems (EMU) program.

Apr 2, 2026 By Jon Harper

Pentagon preparing for drone swarm ‘crucible’

The Swarm Forge initiative is one of the “pace-setting” projects that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called for earlier this year.

Mar 31, 2026 By Jon Harper

Seahawk, a Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) prototype, departs Naval Base Point Loma, California, Aug. 6, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn)

Navy creating new marketplace for maritime drones as it looks to ‘surge capacity’ for Golden Fleet

The Navy is reconfiguring its model for buying autonomous watercraft that can navigate and manage cargo with little to no human input.

Mar 26, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) stand watch in the ship’s Combat Information Center during an operation in the Red Sea to defeat a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, Oct. 19, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau)

Navy program turns ships into continuous data pipelines for AI development

Applied Intuition has delivered the first Data Edge Collection Kit to the Navy, which will allow the service to constantly collect AI-ready data from the operational environment.

Mar 19, 2026 By Mikayla Easley

Lt. Elliot Reed, right, assigned to Air Department aboard the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), signals to a Carrier Air Wing 8 F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 87, as it launches from the flight deck, July 14, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tajh Payne)

How real-world ops are informing Naval Information Forces’ modernization pursuits

NAVIFOR plays a key part in the Navy’s ongoing integration of information warfare capabilities into its Maritime Operations Centers.

Feb 17, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

PACIFIC OCEAN (June 22, 2022) The large unmanned surface vessel Nomad, front, medium displacement unmanned vessel Sea Hunter, right, and large unmanned surface vessel Ranger transit the Pacific Ocean to participate in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler R. Fraser)

Navy exploring options to solve its ‘unmanned dilemma’

The service’s new warfighting directions rely heavily on the integration of surface, undersea, and aerial drone swarms across the fleet.

Feb 11, 2026 By Brandi Vincent