US naval tech firm rolls out new MASC USVs

September 24, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

US naval technology firm BlackSea Technologies has unveiled a new family of modular attack surface craft (MASC) unmanned surface vessels (USVs).

In July 2025, the U.S. Navy issued a solicitation inviting industry to propose modular surface vessels capable of executing a broad range of missions, including anti-surface warfare, strike operations, electronic warfare, mine countermeasures, and logistics, through containerized, rapidly reconfigurable payloads.

BlackSea proposed a 20-meter aluminum catamaran. The vessel is designed to carry approximately 30,481 kg of payload (about 30.5 tonnes) and offers roughly 84 square meters of open deck space. It provides 198 kW of electrical power to support sensors and weapon systems, has a range of around 5,556 km at 10 knots with an extended self-deploying range up to around 18,520 km, and can reach a top speed of 25 knots.

According to BlackSea, the platform supports seven mission profiles: anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASWU), electronic warfare/ISR, logistics, infrastructure monitoring, strike, and mine warfare (MCM/MIW).

“Our approach starts with the mission, not the platform,” said Todd Greene, Deputy Director of Advanced Technology at BlackSea.

“We designed a flexible, modular combatant that can evolve with the Fleet and be built at scale today, not years from now.”

The company also revealed that it is prepared to build and deliver the first fully integrated MASC prototype within six months.

The design shares major subsystem components with the fielded global autonomous reconnaissance craft (GARC) systems, currently being produced at BlackSea’s Baltimore facility. The hull form, derived from BlackSea’s operational GARC platform, uses slender twin aluminum hulls for low drag and high stability. Powering the craft are dual Volvo Penta D8-IPS600 integrated propulsion units.

The US Navy’s MASC program consolidates the goals of its earlier large and medium USV initiatives, seeking modular, containerized surface combatants.