Austin-based Saronic to build 150-foot drone boats
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A depiction of Marauder, to be made at Saronic's new shipyard in Louisiana. Photo: Courtesy of Saronic
Austin-based 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: President Trump has promised new ships "very fast, very soon" in a national address — and now an Austin firm is poised to play a big role.
State of play: Last year, Saronic acquired a roughly 420,000-square-foot production and manufacturing facility in Austin to build autonomous vessels.
- Saronic's acquisition of Gulf Craft gives it 100 acres in Louisiana, at which it can construct larger vessels. Marauder will be 150 feet long — much larger than the 24-foot Corsair, its heftiest drone boat to date.
What they're saying: "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.
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.
Between the lines: Saronic counts among its investors Joe Lonsdale, the Austin billionaire venture capitalist who helped establish the Austin-based America PAC, through which his friend Elon Musk spent roughly $200 million to support Trump.
What they're saying: Saronic's new project is 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.
Follow the money: Saronic was earlier this year valued at $4 billion. The figure coincided with news of a $600 million funding round.
The big picture: Austin has become a mini defense hub.
- Military contractor BAE Systems has a footprint in the city, and the Army Futures Command, a U.S. Army innovation department, is based in Austin.