How the Pentagon Is Buying Robot Ships Like a Shipping Line

The U.S. Navy is abandoning decades of bespoke warship design to procure unmanned surface vessels like a commercial shipping line buying autonomous cargo ships. This episode drills into the medium USV program, where L3Harris and partners build 200-foot robot ships for electronic warfare and surveillance, targeting a unit cost of $30 million—less than a tenth of a destroyer. Lucas and Luna explain how the Pentagon is adopting modular, design-build cycles from commercial shipbuilding, the role of companies like Huntington Ingalls, and why the Navy wants 50 large unmanned vessels by the 2030s. They also discuss the challenges of autonomy certification and cybersecurity at sea. A sharp, specific look at defense procurement that treats the listener as an insider, not a novice. #DefenseTech #Pentagon #UnmannedNavalVessels #RobotShips #L3Harris #HuntingtonIngalls #NavalProcurement #AutonomousShips #USV #MilitaryTech #DefenseContracting #MUSV #LUSV #Shipbuilding #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Defense #Technology Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo