U.S. Pentagon launches $300M SWAP‑USV program to develop uncrewed boats that deploy attack drones

The U.S. Department of Defense, through the Defense Innovation Unit, has opened the Suitable Warfighting Adaptive Payloads‑Unmanned Surface Vessel (SWAP‑USV) Challenge with $300 million in funding. The prize competition seeks commercially mature uncrewed surface vessels that can carry and launch at least two small unmanned aerial systems for surveillance, electronic warfare, communications relay and precision strike missions, with a payload capacity of at least two kilograms.

The program combines a $100 million prize pool across three sprints and a separate $200 million budget for follow‑on production. Vendors must meet operational requirements such as a 200‑nautical‑mile range, 10‑knot cruise speed and 120‑day field‑testing. The effort builds on tactics first used by Ukrainian USVs in the Black Sea, where unmanned boats acted as drone motherships against Russian‑controlled gas platforms. The Pentagon aims to counter low‑cost maritime threats, including small explosive USVs, smuggling boats and semi‑submersibles, by fielding cost‑effective autonomous systems.