Exclusive: Saronic will build 150-foot drone boats at Louisiana shipyard
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A depiction of Marauder, to be made at Saronic's new shipyard in Louisiana. Photo: Courtesy of Saronic
Defense startup Saronic purchased boatmaker Gulf Craft, securing it a Southern shipyard where it plans to produce a new unmanned warship, Marauder.
Why it matters: Shipbuilding, long a niche interest, is now center stage.
- President Trump has promised stateside revitalization, signing an executive order and pledging new ships "very fast, very soon" in a national address.
- Plus, the Navy is clamoring for a hybrid fleet. The future, its leaders believe, is defined by sailors and Marines fighting alongside smart machinery.
State of play: Saronic's acquisition of Gulf Craft gives it 100 acres in Franklin, Louisiana, at which it can construct larger vessels. Marauder will be 150 feet long — a far cry from the 24-foot Corsair, its heftiest drone boat to date.
- "If we just say, 'Hey, we're going to go build ships the way they've always been built, and we're just going to recreate the workforce that existed 70 years ago,' we're not going to get there as a country," CEO Dino Mavrookas told Axios.
- "Our goal — our vision — is to have this product released within the next 12 months."
- He declined to share financial details of the Gulf Craft acquisition.
Context: The Louisiana footprint is separate from Port Alpha, the massive facility Saronic teased in February and is still scouting locations for.
The intrigue: Marauder is being developed "ahead of government contracting," according to Mavrookas.
- "We're investing private capital to build very, very quickly," he said. "We're not sitting around for three, four, five years waiting for requirements to be written."
- The vessel is expected to have a payload capacity of 40 metric tons and be able to travel up to 3,500 nautical miles.
- It has potential commercial applications, as well. Think port-to-port logistics and offshore resupply.
What they're saying: "By revitalizing our industrial base right here in Louisiana, we are taking a critical step toward building our own supply chains and countering foreign competitors like China," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Axios in a statement.
- "All of this is essential to our national security."
Follow the money: Saronic was earlier this year valued at $4 billion. The figure coincided with news of a $600 million funding round.
What's next: Saronic plans to spend $250 million reworking Gulf Craft's plant.
