BlackSea Technologies enters MASC competition with new USV family

Autonomous vessel maker BlackSea Technologies will compete for the Navy’s Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) program with a new family of modular, multimission unmanned surface vessels, the company announced this week.

BlackSea is proposing a 66-foot aluminum catamaran design “purpose built” for MASC, the Navy’s new USV initiative born from a merger of the preexisting large and medium USV requirements and envisioned as a versatile capability to be prototyped as soon as fiscal year 2026.

The Navy published a solicitation in July seeking three separate MASC variants -- a base model, a high-capacity MASC and a single-payload MASC -- with varying requirements centered on payload capacity.

BlackSea is currently building Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft for the Navy and other U.S. government customers, with an established production line producing one GARC per day, the notice states.

The company’s new MASC USV design shares 75% commonality with the GARC, the announcement continues, saying BlackSea is equipped to build and deliver an initial MASC prototype within six months.

The vessel is designed for seven mission profiles: anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare, logistics, infrastructure monitoring, strike and mine warfare.

According to the company announcement, the USV has 900 square feet of open deck space and 67,200 pounds of payload capacity. It has a range of 3,000 nautical miles at 10 knots, an “extended self-deploying range” of 10,000 nautical miles and a top speed of 25 knots, the announcement continues.

BlackSea joins a short but growing list of USV makers that have declared their explicit intent to compete for MASC contracts. Earlier this month, defense technology company Eureka Naval Craft announced plans to submit its AIRCAT Bengal-MC USV as a candidate for at least one of the three MASC variants.