First Textron TSUNAMI Craft Delivered to U.S. Navy for Autonomy Testing

The U.S. Navy has received its first 24-foot TSUNAMI craft from Textron Systems for autonomy testing at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.

The contract includes not only the TSUNAMI vessel but also engineering support and a high-end surveillance technology package. According to Textron Systems, the TSUNAMI will serve as a test and evaluation platform for future payload integration, autonomy trials, and automatic target recognition systems as part of the small Unmanned Surface Vehicle (sUSV) program.

NSWC Dahlgren plans to use the craft for open architecture testing in support of the U.S. Navy fleet, participating in both domestic and international maritime exercises.

The TSUNAMI craft has undergone numerous hours of on-water performance testing, designed with a focus on being attritable, rapidly deployable, and fully autonomous. As an attritable system, it is cost-efficient enough to be considered expendable if necessary, aligning with defense objectives to reduce long-term operational costs.

Equipped with advanced sensors and real-time data-processing systems, the TSUNAMI can carry out complex missions without constant human input, allowing naval personnel to focus on other high-priority tasks. Its integrated surveillance package further supports reconnaissance and intelligence missions, delivering critical situational data in real time.