Saronic Technologies — Company Profile

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Saronic Technologies

Maritime/UnderseaUSPrivate

Saronic markets autonomous surface vessels for naval missions, with three current flagship designs: the 24-foot Corsair, 52-foot Mirage and 180-foot Marauder.

Founded

2022

HQ

Austin, TX

Headcount

Over 1,900Stars and Stripes, 18 Sep 2026

Total raised

About $2.6Bcompany figure, Lloyd's Register

Valuation

$9.25B

Stage

Series Dprivate

Background

Saronic's leadership page, accessed on 19 October 2026, lists Dino Mavrookas as chief executive officer, Doug Lambert as chief operating officer, Vibhav "Vib" Altekar as chief technology officer, Rob Lehman as CCO and Patrick DePriest as chief financial officer. Saronic announced co-founders Lambert's and Altekar's executive appointments on 8 May 2025.

Saronic announced Soo Cho as chief people officer, Eric Murphy as chief information security officer and Tobi Young as general counsel on 5 September 2025. Saronic appointed retired Gen. James E. Rainey and retired Brig. Gen. Samuel "Luke" Peterson as strategic advisers on 11 May 2026 to support its Army business. Stars and Stripes reported more than 1,900 employees during Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's September 2026 visit.

Saronic's vessel catalogue, accessed on 19 October 2026, presents Corsair, Mirage and Marauder; the omission of Spyglass, Cutlass and Cipher does not establish their retirement. Saronic introduced a 40-foot Mirage and 60-foot Cipher in April 2025, alongside its existing designs.

Saronic announced the first 52-foot Mirage entering trials at Galveston on 2 July 2026, advertising more than 35 knots, over 2,500 nautical miles of range and a 3,500-pound payload, with another hull in production in Austin. Saronic announced Marauder's entry into on-water trials on 29 May 2026, advertising more than 25 knots, a maximum 150-metric-ton payload and configurations carrying four 40-foot or eight 20-foot ISO containers.

Louisiana Economic Development confirmed Saronic's April 2025 acquisition of the former Gulf Craft shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana, retention of 35 existing employees and growth to more than 100 employees at the site by December 2025. Saronic said in March 2026 that its Austin headquarters exceeded 500,000 square feet, with additional hubs in San Diego and Washington, D.C. Saronic announced an 80,000-plus-square-foot San Diego facility in July 2025 for mission operations, business development and support.

Saronic announced a nearly 15,000-square-foot New Orleans engineering office on 18 March 2026 and a target to hire more than 350 workers across Louisiana during 2026. Saronic announced a testing and commissioning facility exceeding 30,000 square feet at the Port of Gulfport on 9 August 2026, saying the first Marauder had arrived in mid-July and accumulated hundreds of test hours.

Saronic unveiled Echelon on 30 July 2025, describing software for mission planning, simulation and command-and-control that enables one operator to manage multiple autonomous vessels and supports integration with third-party C2 systems.

Saronic announced plans in March 2025 to integrate Palantir Warp Speed into manufacturing operations. Saronic and Vigor Marine Group announced cooperation in July 2025 covering fabrication, maintenance, repair, overhaul and lifecycle support. Saronic announced an NVIDIA collaboration on 23 October 2025 covering onboard computing, autonomy development, simulation and shipbuilding.

Saronic announced work with Path Robotics on 12 February 2026 to integrate AI-enabled robotic welding at Franklin. Saronic and Samsung Heavy Industries announced a partnership on 23 July 2026 covering autonomy-capable maritime systems, AI and digital solutions, production infrastructure and robotics-based process automation across Saronic's yards, without announcing a priced vessel order or completed technology transfer.

Latest developments

Linked records

Wired to the rest of BattlePolicy — the systems it builds in the Lexicon and the contracts it wins in the Procurement Tracker. Every link below is a record in our own datasets.

⌖ Lexicon — systems

medium unmanned surface vesselprofile
Corsair USV (Saronic)profile

⌖ Procurement — contracts

⌖ Analysis — coverage

Record Defense-Tech Funding Is a Bet on Ukraine's Cheap-Drone Lessonanalysis

Financial footing

Gunderson Dettmer confirmed Saronic's $1.75 billion Series D at a $9.25 billion valuation, announced on 31 March 2026 and led by Kleiner Perkins
DefenseScoop reported that NAVSEA formalized a $392 million OTA on 16 May 2025, with completion scheduled for 30 May 2031 and nearly $197 million awarded under it in July 2025
Saronic separately described the existing Corsair production agreement as "$400M+" in September 2026
The U.S. Navy announced 30 MUSVs, 10 each from Saronic, HII and Galliano Marine Services, on 29 September 2026 at an average procurement cost of about $40 million per vessel, and LCU 1700 prototype agreements with three builders on 15 September 2026, without disclosing Saronic's individual MUSV award value or allocating its share of the $280,521,389 combined initial LCU construction obligation
Backers: Kleiner Perkins, 8VC, Andreessen Horowitz, Advent International, Bessemer Venture Partners, DFJ Growth, BAM Elevate, Caffeinated Capital, Elad Gil, Franklin Templeton, General Catalyst

Gunderson Dettmer confirmed Saronic's $1.75 billion Series D at a $9.25 billion valuation, announced on 31 March 2026 and led by Kleiner Perkins. Saronic named Advent International, Bessemer Venture Partners, DFJ Growth and BAM Elevate as new investors, alongside continuing investors 8VC, Caffeinated Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Elad Gil and Franklin Templeton.

Saronic announced a $600 million Series C on 18 February 2025 at a $4 billion valuation, led by Elad Gil, with General Catalyst joining existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Caffeinated Capital and 8VC. Lloyd's Register relayed Saronic's company-disclosed total of about $2.6 billion in private capital in May 2026.

Louisiana Economic Development announced a $300 million Franklin expansion adding more than 300,000 square feet, three slips, warehouse capacity and a large-vessel assembly line, with a target of 1,500 new direct jobs, a $2 million performance-based grant and $3 million in facility and infrastructure support.

Louisiana Economic Development initially announced construction completion by the end of 2026 and expanded operations in 2027. JE Dunn and Alberici reported structural topping out on 13 August 2026, following a November 2025 groundbreaking, and forecast completion in early 2027. Saronic said the expanded yard would be capable of producing up to 20 Marauders annually, a planned capacity rather than demonstrated annual output.

The Office of the Texas Governor announced $3.248 billion in planned Port Alpha investment at Brownsville on 16 July 2026, an $80 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant, a $78,000 Veteran Created Job Bonus, qualification under JETI and a target of 10,000 jobs at full buildout. The Office of the Texas Governor confirmed the yard's groundbreaking on 30 September 2026, stating that it would build autonomous and manned ships with an initial planned capacity of 150,000 gross tons annually at opening.

Saronic identified crewed LCUs as Port Alpha's first build, with production targeted for 2028 and first deliveries for 2029. Saronic described an 835-acre initial site, an option to expand to nearly 4,400 acres, 1.2 million square feet of enclosed production space and initial capability for vessels up to 850 feet, with potential later expansion to more than 2 million gross tons annually and vessels exceeding 1,200 feet.

The Texas Tribune reported on 18 June 2026 that Cameron County commissioners approved a proposed 95% tax abatement over 20 years, valued at approximately $211 million, while Saronic's site selection was pending.

The Texas Tribune also reported conditions requiring 35% of full-time employees to be local residents, reductions if employment targets were missed and a $10 million incentive offered by Brownsville's development corporation.

No revenue figures are disclosed. The company remains private.

Major customers & contracts

Joined live from the Procurement & Contracts Tracker — real award/announcement records.

Customer	System	Scale / detail	Status
United States (U.S. Navy)	medium unmanned surface vessel	Marketplace opened; seven companies named for at-sea testing	framework
United States	Corsair USV (Saronic)	production deal	signed

Further disclosed customers & programs (public reporting):

DefenseScoop reported that NAVSEA formalized a $392 million Other Transaction Agreement on 16 May 2025, with completion scheduled for 30 May 2031 and nearly $197 million awarded under it in July 2025.

Saronic separately described the existing Corsair production agreement as "$400M+" on 16 September 2026, without reconciling that description with the reported agreement value or identifying a separate additional award.

Saronic announced 300 completed Corsairs on 6 May 2026. Saronic said more than 400 had been built by 16 September 2026, without disclosing how many had been delivered to customers.

The U.S. Navy announced production agreements on 29 September 2026 for 30 MUSVs, 10 each from Saronic, HII and Galliano Marine Services, at an average procurement cost of about $40 million per vessel, with first deliveries before the end of FY2027 and no disclosed Saronic-specific award value. Saronic identified its selected platform as the 180-foot Marauder, described the agreement as firm-fixed-price and said the vessel completed more than 140 scenarios during eight days of continuous operations without failure, including passive-sensor detection, tracking and following.

Saronic also said its third Marauder hull had been flipped and further hulls were progressing through production. Saronic's catalogue advertises Marauder range of 5,400 nautical miles at a 25-metric-ton base load and 4,100 nautical miles at its maximum 150-metric-ton load, with a 12-knot cruise and sprint speed above 25 knots.

The U.S. Navy announced LCU 1700 prototype agreements with Saronic, Conrad Shipyard and Master Boat Builders on 15 September 2026, requiring each builder to construct two or three craft, with a combined initial construction obligation of $280,521,389 and deliveries from late 2028 through 2029, without allocating an individual value or exact craft count to Saronic.

Saronic described its LCU agreement as a firm-fixed-price OTA for crewed vessels, identified LCU as Port Alpha's first build and targeted production beginning in 2028 with first deliveries in 2029.

Saronic announced selection for Focus Area 2 of DARPA's Pulling Guard programme to design a modular, autonomy-enabled vessel for semi-autonomous protection of unarmed logistics shipping, without disclosing an award amount.

Saronic and Castelion announced a 2027 target for launching Blackbeard from Marauder and said Corsair supported a late-2025 Blackbeard flight test as an at-sea telemetry and communications node.

The Greek Ministry of National Defence identified Corsair among systems displayed at the opening of its maritime autonomy training centre on 13 October 2026 and described Hellenic Navy evaluation over preceding weeks. Naval News reported on 14 October that Greece had submitted a Letter of Request through the U.S.

Foreign Military Sales programme, at least two Corsairs were undergoing trials and fleet support ship HS Perseas served as a mothership. Naval News attributed a prospective quantity of at least 30 to George Sideris's reporting in Hellas Journal, without establishing a signed sale, price or delivery schedule.

Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter reported Saronic's expanded Australian presence and UK business launch in May 2025, with Matthew Tracey promoted to VP of International, Paul Hollingshead appointed UK and Europe manager, and retired rear admirals Lee Goddard and Alex Burton added as strategic advisers. Central News Agency reported Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology signed a technology-cooperation MOU with Saronic on 24 April 2026 covering autonomous maritime capabilities, ship design, supply chains, localization and lifecycle maintenance, without a disclosed priced vessel order or purchase quantity.

Saronic announced an ABS MOU in August 2025 covering work toward autonomy certification, vessel classification and requirements development. Lloyd's Register announced cooperation in May 2026 on technical standards, regulatory engagement and Saronic's pursuit of classification for deployment in the UK, Europe and Australia. Saronic announced a Hornbeck Offshore partnership in January 2026 to explore Marauder pilots and offshore-service applications, including voyage planning and fleet management, without disclosing a priced vessel purchase.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims docket reproduced by CourtListener records Saronic's pre-award bid protest filed on 4 March 2026 in case 1:26-cv-00358. DefenseScoop reported that the challenge concerned a Navy solicitation bundling LCS mission-module and small-USV operations and sustainment.

CourtListener records Document 42, filed on 15 October 2026, as an order on motions for judgment on the administrative record and dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6), but the order's text was unavailable in RECAP as of 19 October, leaving the substantive outcome and reasoning unverified.

Leadership & contact surface

Leadership: Dino Mavrookas
Official site: https://www.saronic.com

Contact policy. BattlePolicy maps roles and official, published channels only — who owns a decision and the front door — never individuals’ personal phone numbers, private emails or home details. This keeps the file GDPR-clean and welcome to the companies we profile.

Competitive position

Saronic competes in the U.S. autonomous surface vessel market against several defense and defense-tech players. Shield AI is a direct autonomy-stack rival; Saronic's edge is a fielded, Navy-contracted hull production line whereas Shield AI's maritime footprint remains primarily software and air-domain focused. Anduril Industries fields the Ghost Shark undersea platform and has broad DoD autonomy contracts; Saronic's advantage is surface-vessel specialization and a dedicated production yard, while Anduril's larger program portfolio and established integration relationships are a structural advantage.

L3Harris and Textron field legacy USV programs (including the Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle); Saronic undercuts them on unit economics and development speed but lacks their incumbency and systems-integration depth on large combatant programs. Maritime Applied Physics Corporation and Pacific Defense Solutions hold niche Navy ASV positions; Saronic's scale of capitalization and production capacity now exceeds both. The market remains early-stage, with the Navy's MUSV framework keeping multiple vendors in competition simultaneously.

Battlefield relevance

CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins told DefenseScoop that Corsair fielding in the theatre began in late March 2026 and that a Task Force 59 Corsair recovered two downed Apache crew members off Oman and transported them to a helicopter pickup location.

DefenseScoop's report did not establish the vessel's precise autonomous-versus-remotely-controlled mode during the recovery. Stars and Stripes reported Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's acknowledgement of the rescue during his September 2026 visit to Saronic.

CENTCOM announced that three Corsairs were used as one-way attack drones against a submarine and ship-maintenance facility at Bandar Abbas Naval Base on 12 July 2026, describing it as the first American combat employment of sea drones, USNI News reported. A U.S.

defence official told USNI News that the strike was a CENTCOM operation, was not part of Task Force 59 and was not overseen by the Navy. USNI News's report did not independently establish strike damage, military effects or precise vessel control mode. Stars and Stripes reported Hegseth's subsequent acknowledgement of the combat use.

Saronic described a company-funded, six-day exercise in January 2026 involving eight Corsairs, continuous day-and-night operations, missions more than 70 nautical miles offshore and more than 4,500 nautical miles travelled collectively, with shore-based control and at-sea support teams.

Saronic described Marauder's pre-award evaluation as eight days of continuous operations covering more than 140 scenarios without failure.

DefenseScoop reported a mid-May 2026 Corsair demonstration involving Army personnel at Military Ocean Terminal Concord, with loitering, obstacle avoidance, beyond-line-of-sight control and investigation of vessels of interest.

DefenseScoop reported subsequent TRANSCOM leadership briefings and discussion of potential Coast Guard applications, without establishing a Coast Guard purchase.

The Maritime Executive reported a July 2025 California test collision in which a BlackSea vessel struck a stationary or drifting Saronic vessel, visually identifying them from Reuters footage as a GARC and Corsair respectively, without establishing a final accident finding or allocation of responsibility.

Sources & verification

Analyst verdict Pro

⌖ Analyst note · BattlePolicy assessment — judgment, not reporting

Saronic is the clearest American answer to a question Ukraine asked first: can uncrewed surface vessels be produced fast enough and cheaply enough to matter at scale? Its procurement record now tests that proposition across larger hulls: DefenseScoop reported the $392 million Navy OTA formalized in May 2025, and the U.S.

Navy announced a 10-vessel MUSV production agreement for Saronic on 29 September 2026. Saronic's claim of more than 400 Corsairs built by September establishes its stated production scale, while leaving customer deliveries undisclosed. Delivery now tests whether that production model extends to Marauder, with the U.S. Navy expecting the MUSV programme's first vessels before the end of FY2027.

The capacity risk concerns execution across autonomous and crewed shipbuilding: the Office of the Texas Governor announced $3.248 billion in planned Port Alpha investment, while Louisiana Economic Development put the Franklin expansion at $300 million.

Saronic's plan to make crewed LCUs Port Alpha's first build ties the yard's opening to a customer requirement, with production targeted for 2028 and first deliveries for 2029. The U.S. Navy's average procurement cost of about $40 million across all 30 MUSVs provides no Saronic-specific award value against which to assess the order's financial contribution.

The milestones to watch are Marauder deliveries against the U.S. Navy's programme-wide FY2027 first-delivery target and Franklin's completion against the early-2027 forecast from JE Dunn and Alberici.

Greece provides a concrete test of foreign procurement demand: the Greek Ministry of National Defence confirmed Corsair evaluation, while Naval News reported an FMS request without establishing a signed sale. Port Alpha's first delivery test remains the 2029 LCU target Saronic announced.