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U.S. Navy Plans to Increase Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels to 30 in Indo-Pacific by 2030
The U.S. Navy plans to grow its fleet of medium-sized unmanned surface vessels from four to at least 30 in the Indo-Pacific by 2030, officials said. This expansion aligns with the service's 2045 force vision and includes thousands of small USVs and unmanned aircraft systems. Capt. Garrett Miller outlined the strategy at a recent conference, emphasizing a focus on the region.
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U.S. Navy anticipates expanding its fleet of medium-sized unmanned surface vessels to at least 30 in the Indo-Pacific by 2030, up from the current four, Defense News reported. These four vessels have already completed deployments in the Indo-Pacific region.
The vessels involved were the Sea Hunter, Sea Hawk, Mariner and Ranger, which operated there for five months in 2024. They continue to support the ongoing development of the Navy's USV program. U.S. Navy Capt.
Garrett Miller, commodore of Surface Development Group 1, stated that the fleet could be approximately seven times larger in just four years. He spoke on a panel about uncrewed maritime systems at the Sea-Air-Space Conference on Monday. U.S. Navy’s 2045 force vision, over 30 medium USVs are expected in the Indo-Pacific, Miller said.
Alongside these medium vessels, the Navy expects thousands of small USVs and any number of unmanned aircraft systems operating from manned or unmanned ships in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Miller. He clarified that the numbers of over 30 medium USVs are strictly for the Indo-Pacific and nowhere else at this point.
The Navy is figuring out the numbers for uncrewed fleet size elsewhere, Miller added. In early 2026, Miller announced the creation of three USV divisions at the Surface Navy Association’s 38th National Symposium. The Sea Hawk and Sea Hunter medium USVs were slated to be deployed in 2026, he said.
The Navy has a holistic approach to discussing the number of vessels in regards to where they should house and maintain the potential medium USVs, Miller explained. The Navy needs to look at the numbers in a broader way and toward the Robotic and Autonomous Systems strategy, which aims to build a fleet of manned and unmanned vessels, according to Miller.
