U.S. Navy Plans to Increase Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels to 30 in Indo-Pacific by 2030

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.

'I think you’re going to see things overseas.

' Miller said. Unmanned circuit special squadrons in theaters are going to be operating and maintaining a lot of those things, along with a contractor-led higher-level maintenance, he concluded. The service is going down a path that will allow them to expand at a faster pace than thought previously with any other type of vessel, Miller noted.

This approach reflects the Navy's broader strategy for integrating manned and unmanned systems in key regions. Officials indicated the potential increase to 30 vessels by 2030 specifically in the Indo-Pacific.

The four vessels' prior deployments and ongoing use underscore the program's progress since 2024.