U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Commander, Task Force 66, and Polish Servicemembers, deploy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Crafts (GARC) during exercise Baltic Operations 2025 (BALTOPS 25), in Utska, Poland, June 6, 2025. BALTOPS 25, the premiere maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic Region, provides a unique training opportunity to strengthen combined response capabilities critical to preserving freedom of navigation and security in the Baltic Sea. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christine Montgomery)

BALTIC SEA (June 6, 2025) Operators from Special Boat Team 22 and U.S. government-contracted systems engineers deploy and operate a Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) during exercise Baltic Operations 2025 (BALTOPS 25) in the Baltic Sea, June 06, 2025. BALTOPS 25, the premiere maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic Region, provides a unique training opportunity to strengthen combined response capabilities critical to preserving freedom of navigation and security in the Baltic Sea. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Ryan LeCompte)

USTKA, Poland (June 6, 2025) Operators working with Command Task Force 66, prepare to launch a Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft during Exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2025, in the Port of Ustka, Poland, June 06. BALTOPS 25 is the premier maritime-focused annual military exercise in the Baltic region and provides a unique opportunity to strengthen warfighting readiness and combat credibility critical to deterrence and preserving safety and security in the Baltic Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Karis Killman)

USTKA, Poland (June 6, 2025) Operators working with Command Task Force 66, along with U.S. government-contracted systems engineers, prepare to deploy a Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) during exercise Baltic Operations 2025 (BALTOPS 25) in the Port of Ustka, Poland, June 06, 2025. BALTOPS 25 is the premier maritime-focused annual military exercise in the Baltic region and provides a unique opportunity to strengthen warfighting readiness and combat credibility critical to deterrence and preserving safety and security in the Baltic Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Ryan LeCompte)

A new profile from SOFREP spotlights GARC, BlackSea Technologies’ high-speed aluminum USV capable of 40+ knots and 600+ nautical miles of range. Built in Baltimore at the former Liberty Shipyard, GARC is already operational with the Navy’s USVRON-3 and designed for ISR, mine countermeasures, and more.

BlackSea Technologies' Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) was recently spotlighted by Ryan Robertson and Brett Baker in a segment on emerging defense capabilities. The article highlights how GARC is pushing the boundaries of autonomous maritime operations with its modular design, long range, and multi-domain integration. Built for real world missions in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, GARC is already supporting USV Squadrons 3 and 7 and expanding what's possible for unmanned surface vessels.

The Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) small, unmanned surface vehicle (sUSV) was demonstrated in the waters outside SOF Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida. During the event, the company conducted demonstrations of the sUSV on 6–8 May at Dock Space 10 and surrounding waters. The US Navy has been expanding the operation worldwide of the GARC. The approach aligns with the Navigation Plan 2024 (Project 33) and its determination to accelerate the integration of robotic and autonomous systems into the branch’s inventory up until 2027. Currently in full-rate production with the service, the platform will be deployed this year in operations and military exercises in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia, according to BlackSea Technologies, the platform’s supplier.

A U.S. Marine Corps global autonomous reconnaissance craft assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, maneuvers through the water during a sensing capability test during Pacific Inferno off the coast of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, May 6, 2025. Exercises such as Pacific Inferno allow the Indo-Pacific Command Joint Force the opportunity to integrate forces from all branches and with our allies to conduct precise, lethal, and overwhelming multi-axis, multi-domain effects that demonstrate the strength and versatility of the Joint Force and our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Whistler).

In a dynamic display of joint innovation, Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic concluded “Southern Lightning” on April 18—a week-long, multi-domain experimentation exercise off Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. Partnering with Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane and U.S. Fleet Forces Command, the event tested communications architectures and unmanned systems in a littoral environment, with assets like the USS Cole and MH-60R helicopters supporting operations at sea. Designed to accelerate integration of manned-unmanned hybrid fleets, Southern Lightning is part of the broader Silent Swarm experimentation series, advancing assured communications and electromagnetic spectrum operations across air, sea, and subsurface domains. “Our Sailors and Marines will rely on these systems in future conflicts,” said Cliff Hunt, NIWC Atlantic’s senior technical manager. “This is how we make sure the architecture is ready—now.”