The U.S. Coast Guard is moving forward with a nearly $350 million investment in robotics and autonomous systems to strengthen mission readiness and safety.
Funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the initiative sets aside $11 million in fiscal year 2025 for immediate system upgrades.
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New Systems Entering the Fleet
As part of the initial rollout, the Coast Guard will procure:
- 16 VideoRay Defender remotely operated vehicles to replace the Deployable Specialized Forces’ current fleet of ROVs.
- Six Qinetiq Squad Packable Utility Robots and 12 mini-SPURs to modernize unmanned ground vehicles used by Strike Teams.
- 125 SkyDio X10D short-range unmanned aircraft systems
“These unmanned systems provide increased domain awareness, mitigating risk and enhancing mission success as the Coast Guard continues to operate in hazardous environments,” said Anthony Antognoli, the Coast Guard’s first RAS program executive officer. “The Coast Guard’s mission demands agility, awareness and adaptability. Robotics and autonomous systems deliver all three, enabling us to respond faster, operate smarter and extend our reach where it matters most. We are not waiting for the future to arrive. We are delivering it to the fleet today.”
Unmanned Systems Mission Applications
The new VideoRay Defender ROVs will support waterfront and pier inspections, ship hull assessments, subsurface surveys, and search and rescue efforts, reducing the need for diver deployments in hazardous conditions.
Coast Guard Strike Teams will deploy the Qinetiq SPUR systems to enter confined areas aboard commercial vessels and conduct environmental sampling during hazardous materials spills, chemical or radiological incidents, and other emergencies.
The SkyDio drones will assist in infrastructure inspections, environmental observation, pollution response, post-storm surveys, ice surveys and communications, among other operations.
USCG Force Design 2028
The investment falls under the Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 plan, focused on modernizing operations and accelerating technology integration across the service. The plan centers on four campaigns — people, organization, contracting and acquisition, and technology — to reshape the service into a more agile and resilient force.
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