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Mehler Protection Unveils Active Close-Range Counter-UAV System for Ships at SMM 2026

Tuesday, September 1st, 2026

KÖNIGSLUTTER, GERMANY (1 September 2026)

At SMM 2026, Mehler Protection is set to unveil SCILT NAVAL, a new active counter-UAV system developed specifically to protect ships from close-range threats.

The threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is evolving: Recent conflicts have demonstrated that even heavily armed warships can be vulnerable to small, low-cost drone systems deployed in large numbers. While modern naval forces have powerful air defence systems capable of engaging threats at long range, significant challenges remain when it comes to close- and very-close-range protection. This is particularly true in ports, when navigating confined waterways such as canals, during amphibious operations, aboard landing craft and at fixed maritime installations.

SCILT was developed specifically for this immediate threat zone, where large-scale air defence systems and formation-level counter-UAV solutions may no longer able to respond effectively.

It serves as an active last line of defence for individual vessels, bridging the gap between passive protection and large-scale air defence. The system is designed to counter small UAVs, including FPV drones, one-way attack systems and loitering munitions, and can engage both individual threats and multiple simultaneous attacks at close range.

Effectors, sensors and operating controls are integrated directly on board. The sensor suite includes electro-optical systems and additional close-range sensors for threat detection and to support operational decision-making. In its initial configuration, the system operates with a human in the loop. Further automation is planned as certification requirements and operational procedures permit.

The system uses three alert levels – detection, approach and engagement – and utilises commercially available shotgun calibres as effectors. Compared with the land-based version,

SCILT NAVAL offers a greater effective range and automatic reloading. Its effectors run the gamut from fragmentation to armour-piercing variants.

SCILT can be integrated into existing C2 and sensor systems. Where no suitable interface is available, the system can also operate autonomously using its own detection and engagement chain. Additional control and display units can be installed at multiple locations inside the vessel, giving the crew access to situational information and system controls where required.

SCILT has been developed over a period of approximately 18 months. A series of 48 tests examined factors including external and terminal ballistics, firing safety and fragment distribution, along with maritime environmental effects such as salt spray, corrosion, vibrations and wave impact. The results were used to determine the optimum effective range and effector configuration.

SCILT expands Mehler Protection’s existing portfolio of platform armour solutions for land, air and sea. The company provides protection solutions for helicopters, land vehicles and naval systems and is a key supplier to several German Navy vessels currently under construction.

Further information on Mehler Protection’s platform armour solutions: mehler-protection.com/platform-armour

Posted in C-UAS, International, Maritime, Press Release | No Comments »

USSOCOM Seeks Battery Bottles

Wednesday, August 26th, 2026

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM Program Executive Office Maritime, Undersea (PEO-M-U), will host a virtual Assessment Event on 30 September 2026.

The PEO-M-U Program Office is engaging industry to determine the readiness of the manufacturing base to evaluate, fabricate, provide Objective Quality Evidence (OQE), and deliver an initial quantity of pressure-capable containment pods for the command’s Large Format, Propagation Resistant battery design.

The PEO-M-U develops and supports a family of manned submersibles that support the operation of our Warfighters. These manned submersibles are powered by large-format, propagation-resistant battery systems. The Battery Systems require a watertight, pressure-resistant,and shock-resistant design to transport and protect the integrity and function of the batteries.

The Government is seeking cost and schedule estimates and technical (primarily manufacturability) review of several designs (to be provided as part of this solicitation). The objective is to accumulate input from industry and select one or more vendors to manufacture and deliver one or more of the government-provided designs. The vendor will be responsible for reviewing the design(s) for manufacturability, assuming the Government will maintain Design Authority and perform applicable testing of the delivered pods.

U.S. Citizens Only

Submit NLT 08 September 2026 11:59 PM ET. Learn more at events.sofwerx.org/peo-m-battery-bottle.

Posted in Maritime, Power, SOF | Comments Off on USSOCOM Seeks Battery Bottles

Mehler Protection Brings New Maritime Protection Solutions to SMM 2026

Wednesday, August 19th, 2026

KÖNIGSLUTTER, GERMANY (18 August 2026)

From 1–4 September 2026, Mehler Protection will exhibit at SMM in Hamburg, presenting its latest platform protection solutions developed for the maritime sector.

Visitors can find Mehler Protection | Platform Armour in Hall B5, Booth 335, where the company will showcase a range of ballistic protection solutions for naval platforms, alongside a new development addressing emerging threats in the maritime environment.

A key focus of the exhibit will be M-RACC KE, Mehler Protection’s modular add-on armour solution designed to increase the ballistic protection of existing structures and platforms.

Its modular concept allows the protection level to be adapted to different threat scenarios and platform requirements, providing a flexible approach to upgrading protection without redesigning the complete structure.

At SMM 2026, visitors will be able to compare M-RACC KE configurations across STANAG Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4, demonstrating how the system can be scaled according to the required level of ballistic protection.

The exhibit will also feature a ship wall equipped with ballistic protection, providing a practical demonstration of how Mehler Protection’s armour solutions can be integrated into naval structures.

Alongside its passive armour solutions, Mehler Protection will provide a first look at a new active protection development for the maritime domain.

The solution has been developed in response to the rapidly changing threat environment faced by naval platforms, particularly at close and very close ranges. It expands Mehler Protection’s approach to maritime survivability beyond passive ballistic protection and will be officially unveiled during SMM 2026.

Further details about the new system will be announced separately at the start of the exhibition.

As the world’s leading maritime industry event, SMM brings together the international maritime sector in Hamburg to present new technologies, exchange expertise and address the challenges shaping the future of the industry.

Learn more about Mehler Protection: mehler-protection.com

Posted in International, Maritime, Press Release, Tradeshow | No Comments »

Blue Ops, a Red Cat Company, and Havoc Partner to Develop Open-Architecture Autonomous Maritime Defense Systems

Tuesday, August 18th, 2026

Companies plan to integrate Havoc’s collaborative autonomy software across Blue Ops’ USV portfolio to establish operational fleets

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 17, 2026 — Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: RCAT) (“Red Cat” or the “Company”), a U.S.-based provider of advanced all-domain drone and robotic solutions for defense and national security, and Havoc, a leader in all-domain collaborative autonomy, announced a partnership today, formalized through Red Cat’s maritime division, Blue Ops.

Under the partnership, Blue Ops and Havoc plan to integrate Havoc’s collaborative autonomy software and command-and-control capabilities across multiple Blue Ops uncrewed surface vessels, including the Variant 7 and additional platforms as they are introduced. The integration is intended to enable coordinated multi-vessel operations and expand the range of autonomous functions available to U.S. and allied defense customers.

The partnership builds on Blue Ops’ Modular Open Systems Architecture (“MOSA”) approach to maritime systems, which is designed to support the rapid integration of autonomy, sensors, communications, payloads, and other mission technologies based on evolving operational requirements. Havoc’s collaborative autonomy technology has been successfully deployed on behalf of the U.S. Department of War in multiple operational contexts.

“This partnership is exactly what our open-architecture strategy was built for,” said Barry Hinckley, President of Blue Ops. “Our goal is to build the best small USVs in the world while making it easy to integrate leading technologies from across the U.S. and our allies. Havoc has developed a powerful collaborative autonomy solution and integrating it with Blue Ops platforms gives customers greater choice and flexibility while accelerating how quickly advanced autonomous maritime capabilities can be fielded.”

Blue Ops and Havoc also plan to establish operational fleets at Havoc’s headquarters in Rhode Island and Blue Ops’ headquarters in Florida. These locations will provide U.S. and allied defense customers and partners with access to integrated Blue Ops and Havoc systems for live demonstrations, testing, training and operational evaluation, including both single-vessel autonomy and coordinated multi-vessel operations.

“Havoc’s primary strategy is to pair our leading-edge collaborative autonomy software with platform manufacturers who have already proven innovation, excellence, and scale,” said Paul Lwin, CEO and Co-Founder of Havoc. “Blue Ops is the perfect partner to continue our journey because they are building an open, flexible family of maritime systems that align directly with how we believe autonomy should be deployed. By integrating Havoc across the Blue Ops portfolio, we can give operators the ability to command and coordinate multiple autonomous vessels while preserving the flexibility to adapt as operational requirements evolve.”

Additionally, the companies plan to work together to expand market access for their respective technologies. Blue Ops and Red Cat intend to introduce Havoc’s autonomy and command-and-control capabilities to their government and commercial customers, while Havoc intends to market Blue Ops’ family of USVs to its customer base. Together, the companies plan to pursue opportunities requiring integrated autonomous maritime systems.

The partnership provides a framework for continued technical integration, demonstrations and joint customer engagement as the companies further develop their commercial relationship.

Posted in Admin, Industry, Maritime, Press Release, UxS | No Comments »

HII/MetalCraft Marine Autonomous ROMULUS USV with HII Autonomy Successfully Passed a Critical DoW Test

Thursday, August 13th, 2026

MCLEAN, Va., Aug. 11, 2026 — HII (NYSE: HII) announced that the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has officially recognized the successful completion of the company’s Production-Ready, Inexpensive, Maritime Expeditionary (PRIME) prototype project, featuring the Watcher small Unmanned Surface Vessel (sUSV), which is based on HII’s ROMULUS-25 Unmanned Surface Vessel and powered by HII’s Odyssey Autonomous Control System (ACS).

The DIU recognition follows HII’s delivery and successful sea testing of two autonomous Watcher ROMULUS-25 vessels in December 2025 under a DIU contract to develop smaller-form-factor autonomous surface vessels for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Developed in partnership with MetalCraft Marine, the Watcher sUSV successfully met the program’s technical objectives and is now positioned for a potential transition to production.

HII’s Odyssey ACS modular open systems architecture (MOSA) enables intelligent navigation, mission planning, collaborative behaviors, and multi-domain autonomous operations while allowing operators to rapidly integrate autonomy across multiple vehicle types and increasingly complex missions in contested environments. Its service-based design enables seamless integration with other mission-enabling technologies, enhancing mission effectiveness through AI-enabled contact recognition, identification, and edge-based decision-making.

In a memorandum to HII, DIU stated: “The HII Watcher sUSV has successfully demonstrated its appropriateness to address the Department of the Navy’s operational need for sUSV interceptors, capable of autonomously transiting hundreds of miles through contested waterspace, loitering in an assigned operating area while monitoring for maritime surface threats, and then sprinting to interdict a noncooperative, maneuvering vessel.”

The memorandum further concluded that HII achieved the prototype’s key technical goals and success metrics, supporting a potential transition to production under Other Transaction Authority (OTA) prototype agreements.

“This milestone is another example of HII’s strategy to rapidly transition innovative technologies from concept to operational capability,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of the Unmanned Systems group within HII’s Mission Technologies division. “As demand for autonomous systems continues to grow, HII remains focused on delivering proven, mission-ready autonomous solutions that strengthen naval readiness and provide our customers with greater operational flexibility.”

Mike Reed, General Manager of MetalCraft Marine, said, “This milestone is a significant accomplishment for the entire MetalCraft team and a strong validation of what can be achieved when our experienced boatbuilders combine their expertise with HII autonomy capabilities. The Watcher was engineered and built to deliver the speed, seakeeping, strength and reliability demanded by this mission. Successfully completing the government-led autonomy, seakeeping, performance and degraded-environment assessments confirms the quality of the aluminum platform and the discipline behind its design and construction. MetalCraft has built its reputation on high-performance aluminum vessels that perform when needed most, and this milestone positions the Watcher for the next step, from successful prototype to production”

The two ROMULUS-25 autonomous vessels completed extensive at-sea testing, successfully demonstrating advanced autonomous mission behaviors across a range of operational scenarios, including contractor demonstrations, government-led autonomy assessments, seakeeping and performance evaluations, and degraded-environment testing.

The PRIME initiative challenged industry to deliver commercially available, production-ready autonomous surface vessels capable of supporting maritime expeditionary operations. Following a full and open competition that attracted 116 solution briefs, HII was selected to design, build, and demonstrate its solution.

The ROMULUS-25, part of HII’s expanding family of autonomous unmanned surface vessels, is a high-speed interceptor capable of carrying payloads of up to 1,000 pounds and operating at ranges of up to 1,000 nautical miles.

HII is the world’s leading producer of autonomous underwater vehicles through its REMUS family of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), which are deployed by the U.S. Navy and allied partners worldwide for mine countermeasures, underwater reconnaissance, intelligence collection, environmental assessment, and critical seabed operations.

Together, Watcher, ROMULUS USV, REMUS UUV, and Odyssey ACS form an integrated ecosystem of autonomous maritime capabilities that can operate independently or collaboratively to extend fleet reach, enhance maritime awareness, and increase mission effectiveness across the full spectrum of naval operations.

The successful completion of the PRIME prototype further reinforces HII’s position as a leader in autonomous maritime systems and demonstrates the company’s ability to deliver production-ready autonomous capabilities that meet the evolving needs of the U.S. Department of War and allied navies.

Posted in Maritime, Press Release, UxS | No Comments »

Watershed Launches Instagram Account

Friday, July 31st, 2026

In order to reach end users with product information and updates, Watershed has launched a new Instagram account.

They will share mission applications, field testing, product updates, trade show appearances, and stories from the men and women who depend on their gear when failure isn’t an option.

With over 40 years of industry experience, Watershed has been designing and manufacturing waterproof bags for U.S. and Global SOF since 1998. Their Maritime Backpack Suite is part of USSOCOM’s SPEAR Program.

The new account can be found at @watershedgov.

Please follow and share.

Posted in Advertiser, Load Carrying, Maritime, Packs | No Comments »

Project Convergence Capstone 6 Experiments with Hammer of the Gods

Monday, July 27th, 2026

Fort Irwin, Calif. – A key highlight of Joint experimentation during Project Convergence Capstone 6 is the Army, Navy and Space Force coming together on the west coast to experiment with the effects of a technology called Hammer of the Gods.

Although Hammer of the Gods is a relatively new technological capability, it has already begun to play an important role in military experimentation. Hammer of the Gods is an emitter that provides an expanded suite of command-and-control (C2) and operational capabilities in a highly deployable, low-electromagnetic-signature, electronic warfare platform, delivering multi-domain effects at the forward edge of operations.

Land-based versions of the system have been featured in various exercises and demonstrations during the past two years, helping warfighters across the joint force explore new ways to operate in the electromagnetic spectrum. More recently, the maritime variant made its debut during PC-C6, marking the first time the technology was tested at sea in mid-July 2026. This milestone represents another step in the system’s ongoing development as military leaders continue evaluating how it can enable future operations across multiple domains and enhance Next Generation Command and Control and electronic warfare capabilities.

“Joint experimentation is how we prepare for future fights,” said Lt. Col. Darrin Hall, Chief, Modeling, Simulation and Integration (S7/8), U.S. Space Forces Pacific. “By integrating space, cyber and conventional forces into realistic scenarios, we strengthen our ability to operate as one joint team in contested environments.”

PC-C6 serves as a critical venue for Army, joint, and multinational allies and partners to integrate and experiment with future warfighting capabilities.

The original plan for Hammer of the Gods was ambitious. Organizers intended to demonstrate both the land and maritime-based versions of the system while supporting learning objectives from the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and U.S. Space Forces Pacific.

The experiment successfully proceeded with support from U.S. Space Forces Pacific and Naval Base San Diego, enabling the integration of the maritime variant into PC-C6. Their collaboration highlighted the value of joint experimentation, demonstrating how multiple forces can work together across multiple domains to test new electromagnetic spectrum capabilities and gather insights for future operations.

“This experiment proved that counter-PNT capabilities can be deployed, controlled and recovered in real-world maritime operations while extending operational reach through resilient mesh networking. It demonstrates the value of joint collaboration in advancing operational readiness,” Hall said.

A key focus of the experiment was understanding Positioning, Navigation, and Timing, a capability that underpins many of today’s operations. From helping troops navigate and synchronize communications, to enabling precision-guided systems and supporting uncrewed platforms, reliable PNT information is essential across nearly every domain of modern combat.

“Positioning, Navigation and Timing is the foundation of modern military operations. Understanding how to protect and operate through PNT disruption ensures our forces can continue to shoot, move and communicate effectively,” Hall said. “Counter-PNT effects enhances lethality by impacting the backbone for pinpoint targeting via long range artillery, guided missiles, and cruise munitions. Without PNT data, modern weapon precision drops sharply, resulting in delayed missions, missed objectives, or severe collateral damage.”

Recent conflicts have highlighted just how dependent military forces have become on these capabilities. When GPS signals or other PNT services are disrupted, the effects can ripple across communications, navigation, and overall mission effectiveness. As a result, leaders are increasingly exploring how forces can continue to operate in environments where these services are degraded or unavailable.

Experiments during PC-C6 provide an opportunity to study those challenges in realistic operational settings. By testing technology like the Hammer of the Gods, commanders can better understand how to shape the electromagnetic environment, improve resilience against PNT disruptions, and refine concepts for operating effectively in contested environments.

Story by SGT Sar Paw, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Posted in Army, EW, Guest Post, Maritime | 1 Comment »

Elistair and Exail Bring Persistent Aerial Surveillance to Unmanned Surface Vessels

Thursday, July 23rd, 2026

Persistent aerial surveillance delivered by a tethered drone launched from an unmanned surface vessel, for coastal security, port protection, and wide-area maritime monitoring.

Elistair and Exail have partnered to integrate the Khronos automated tethered DroneBox on Exail’s DriX unmanned surface vessel (USV), giving maritime operators a persistent “eye in the sky” launched directly from the vessel. The combination extends surveillance well beyond the range of the platform’s surface sensors, while keeping personnel safe on shore.

Launched directly from the deck of the DriX, Khronos provides persistent, continuous aerial surveillance. Its autonomous deployment and “follow-me” capability keep the drone stationed above the vessel while under way. Powered through its tether, Khronos flies for up to 24 hours at a height of 60 m. It streams live, encrypted video over a secure data link, delivering real-time imagery even in contested, GNSS-denied environments.

By adding a tethered drone to a long-endurance autonomous vessel, the pairing pushes the surveillance horizon far beyond the reach of surface radar and cameras. Both the vessel and the drone can be operated remotely from shore. The configuration is suited to coastal surveillance, port and critical-infrastructure protection, counter-trafficking operations, and search and rescue.

“Integrating a tethered drone on an autonomous vessel marks a major step forward for maritime surveillance,” said Guilhem de Marliave, CEO of Elistair. “Surface sensors stop at the horizon; flown from the DriX, Khronos lifts that limit with a persistent, mobile view that stays airborne for hours. For operators, that means wider coverage and earlier detection, with no crew at sea.”

DriX was designed as an open platform, able to integrate new payloads as operational needs evolve,” said Stéphane Vannuffelen, Maritime Autonomy Solution Technical Director at Exail. “The integration of Khronos adds a persistent aerial perspective to the vessel’s existing surveillance capabilities, significantly extending the monitored area.

elistair.com

Posted in International, Maritime, Press Release, Sensors | No Comments »