Autonomous DARPA ship shows off in-water testing
NewsJuly 21, 2025
ARLINGTON, Va. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) autonomous long-duration prototype ship is seen underway on the water in the first video of it operating at sea.
Shipbuilder Serco launched the 180-foot-long, 240-ton vessel -- dubbed the USX-1 Defiant -- in March 2025 in preparation for sea trials.
DARPA states that the NOMARS uncrewed surface vessel (USV) program aims to challenge the traditional naval architecture model, designing a seaframe (the ship without mission systems) from the ground up with no provision, allowance, or expectation for humans on board. By removing the human element from all ship design considerations, say DARPA materials, the autonomous-ship program intends to demonstrate lower cost, higher at-sea reliability, greater hydrodynamic efficiency, survivability to sea-state, and survivability to adversary actions through stealth considerations and resistance to tampering.
The DARPA video may be viewed at https://youtu.be/1aebdBj2W-U.
