Editor’s Brief¹

Last week we covered SkyFi and how they’re exposing China’s Gray Zone Tactics. A prime example: Mischief Reef. Between 2013 and 2016, the PRC performed extensive land reclamation work. The reef, which sits well inside the Philippines’ EEZ, was transformed from traditional Filipino fishing grounds into a 1,379 acre Chinese military outpost.

As China continues to expand its maritime reach, the U.S. faces a critical question:
How do we scale sea power—without scaling cost or crew?

Saronic Technologies is one of the startups proposing a new answer.

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Signal Brief: Saronic Technologies - Rethinking Naval Presence with Autonomous Platforms

Saronic Technologies is taking a different approach to naval power: build small, autonomous vessels that can be rapidly produced, easily upgraded, and operated with minimal crews. Their mission is to help the U.S. Navy quickly field distributed maritime capabilities to remain credible as China expands its naval reach.

Origins & Vision

Saronic was founded in September 2022 by Dino Mavrookas (CEO), a former Navy SEAL; Rob Lehman (Chief Commercial Officer), a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel; Vibhav “Vib” Altekar (VP of Software), an early engineer at Anduril; and Doug Lambert (Head of Engineering), former Head of Engineering at Liquid Robotics.

The problem? Despite the growing role of unmanned surface vessels in modern naval operations, the U.S. military had yet to develop a comprehensive, scalable solution.

Within 90 days of founding, Saronic secured two R&D agreements with the U.S. Navy. That early traction led to strong investor support, rapid team expansion, and the rollout of a new class of ocean drones in under two years. They also acquired a 420,000 sq. ft. facility in Austin to scale production.

Saronic’s vision has evolved to not only redefine maritime superiority but also play a key role in revitalizing American shipbuilding and supporting the Navy’s transition to a hybrid fleet in the 21st-century maritime environment.

Key Takeaways

• Full-Stack Manufacturing: Owning design, fabrication, and assembly in-house shortens timelines and avoids DoD supply chain bottlenecks.

• Attritable Fleet Design: Low-cost, unmanned vessels enable distributed maritime operations at scale.

• Continuous Software Upgrades: Agile, over-the-air updates replace shipyard overhauls, bringing modern software development to naval platforms.

• Shipyard Infrastructure Play: The upcoming Port Alpha shipyard targets a major bottleneck: limited U.S. industrial capacity for maritime production.

• Venture Validation: A $4B valuation signals growing investor confidence in nontraditional approaches to naval modernization.

Tech Radar: Saronic's Key Platforms

Each of Saronic’s autonomous surface vessels is designed for specific mission tiers:

Spyglass - Tactical, swarming, and easily deployable

A compact 6-foot ASV for contested littoral zones, equipped with advanced sensors and a configurable payload bay. It supports single-ship ops or collaborative swarms and can launch from expeditionary craft.

• Range: 30 nautical miles​

• Top Speed: 20 knots

• Payload Capacity: 40 pounds

Cutlass - Multi-role support and extended comms

A 14-foot ASV designed for missions requiring more endurance and payload. It can deploy loitering munitions, extend command-and-control networks, and track enemy vessels at range.

• Range: 300 nautical miles​

• Top Speed: 20 knots​

• Payload Capacity: 200 pounds​

Corsair - Heavy-lift, long-range, modular operations

The largest in Saronic’s fleet at 24 feet, with a modular payload integration for ISR, kinetic, and non-kinetic missions. Designed for mass production and open-architecture flexibility.

• Range: 1,000 nautical miles​

• Top Speed: 35+ knots​

• Payload Capacity: 1,000 pounds

Autonomy Stack: Saronic’s Integrated Software Ecosystem

Saronic’s software enables real-time autonomy, coordinated swarm behavior, and decision-making even in GPS- and comms-denied environments. The platform uses edge AI and data fusion to integrate across systems, supporting digital twin simulations to accelerate field readiness.

Port Alpha Shipyard Initiative

Saronic’s Port Alpha, announced in February 2025, will provide a dedicated facility to scale the production of autonomous surface vessels and bypass legacy shipbuilding bottlenecks. The initiative will play a crucial role in supporting the Navy’s transition to a hybrid fleet.

Market Signals

Funding & Growth

• Total Funding: ~$850 million across four rounds

• Latest Round: $600 million Series C (February 2025)

• Notable Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Caffeinated Capital, 8VC, General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Point72 Ventures, Ensemble VC

• Valuation: $4 billion (February 2025)

The company's approach suggests a long-term focus on building capability and capacity rather than short-term returns.  Much of this recent funding will go towards construction of Port Alpha to supercharge their manufacturing base.

Contracts & Government Traction

We are currently working to confirm potential contracts and will provide an update in the coming weeks. Currently Saronic success includes:

• Navy CRADA - Saronic secured two R&D agreements with the U.S. Navy within 90 days of Founding enabling collaborative development between engineers and Navy Personnel.

• Navy IBP 24.1 - In April 2024, Spyglass and Cutlass took part in the US Navy’s Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 24.1 exercise. Notably, the company demonstrated the rapid integration of an Anduril-made loitering munition onto the Cutlass platform.

Additionally, Saronic has secured a partnership with Palantir Technologies to enhance the development and delivery of autonomous naval capabilities, demonstrating significant traction.

Navy funding for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) is projected to exceed $3.2B through FY2029, with the largest share directed toward advanced prototyping. Although spending dips in FY2025, funding steadily increases in the following years.  As the Navy leans into a broader shift toward distributed and AI-enabled maritime operations, Saronic is positioned squarely within this next wave of autonomy-driven defense investment.²

Looking Ahead

China now commands the world’s largest maritime force, with over 370 battle force platforms compared to the U.S. Navy’s 296. That figure doesn’t include the hundreds of Maritime Militia vessels that operate in the gray zone, extending Beijing’s reach. By 2030, China’s fleet is projected to grow to 435 ships, while U.S. projections remain flat.

Some argue the U.S. should simply build more ships. But China operates 20+ naval shipyards and dozens more commercial yards that vastly outpace U.S. production. The U.S., by contrast, relies on just seven major private yards and four public ones, many of which are outdated, understaffed, and focused on maintenance. Any attempt to surge U.S. shipbuilding would likely be matched—or outpaced—by China’s own expansion.

What about quality over quantity? That gap is closing too. According to the Office of Naval Intelligence, “Chinese naval ship design and material quality is in many cases comparable to USN ships, and China is quickly closing remaining deficiencies.³

Deployed at scale, Saronic’s platforms could operate as a kind of autonomous wolfpack—disrupting China’s “squatter’s rights” tactics in the South China Sea, extending U.S. presence, and providing persistent ISR without crew burden or capital ship costs. Integrated into Carrier Strike Groups or Destroyer Squadrons, they offer a scalable response to an evolving threat landscape.

With successful demos at Integrated Battle Problem 24.1 and strong investor backing, the company has momentum. The next test: scaling production and delivering on the promise of Port Alpha

Challenges

• Robotics Manufactuing at Scale - Reduced reliance on manual labor but requires a highly skilled workforce to maintain and optimize systems.

• Infrastructure Expansion - Establishing Port Alpha for vessel construction and maintenance to support the rapid scaling.

• Environmental Durability - Ensuring vessel performance in degraded communications and emissions-controlled environments.

• DoD Buy-In - Gaining Navy adoption of unmanned surface vessels within its operational strategy and converting R&D wins to production contracts

Bottom Line:

Saronic is well-positioned to support the U.S. Navy’s push to modernize its fleet, which includes expanding to a 500-ship force with 150 uncrewed vessels. Much like Ukraine’s success in the Black Sea, where uncrewed platforms have proven to be game-changers, Saronic’s vessels could provide the Navy with a scalable, cost-effective way to assert maritime dominance.

If Saronic can secure Navy buy-in, scale production, and continue to demonstrate system reliability, it could become a core element of U.S. naval strategy.

But just having the technology isn’t enough—not when territorial disputes and maritime tensions are on the rise. The real challenge is using these autonomous vessels to strengthen U.S. and allied deterrence, ensuring maritime security in the face of growing geopolitical pressures.

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1  The views expressed in this newsletter are my own and do not represent the views of the U.S. Navy, Department of Defense, or any government agency. Mention of companies, technologies, or products is not an endorsement or recommendation. The content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.

2  These insights are based on data organized on Pryzm, a defense market intelligence platform and CRM.

3  All references to Chinese capabilities are based exclusively on open-source data from publicly available government reports, think tank analyses, and defense media. While capabilities are often understated rather than overstated in public discourse, this article does not draw on any classified information—regardless of any prior or current access we may or may not have.