The US Navy has expanded the deployment of Saildrone's Voyager unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) after the platforms helped enable the interdiction of more than $81 million worth of cocaine during a counter-drug operation.
Under a new $16.3 million task order, the Voyager fleet will continue supporting maritime domain awareness and counter-illicit trafficking missions in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
The detection and interdiction of drug smugglers attempting to enter the United States by sea has remained a top priority across administrations and the Pentagon and US Coast Guard. Patrolling the wide expanses of the southern maritime border is a daunting task for any fleet, and it is especially challenging for manned assets, which are limited in number and whose crews are most valuable when it is time to interdict.
According to Saildrone, Voyager directly enabled an October 2025 drug bust during a US Navy ship interdiction that seized more than $81 million worth of cocaine. That detection and interdiction reflects the ongoing work of Navy operators to integrate unmanned systems into daily operations.
“The continuity of Saildrone’s presence along the southern border for nearly three years demonstrates the strategic value we bring as the world’s most experienced operators of unmanned surface vehicles,” said Saildrone President VADM (ret.) John Mustin.
“Our unmatched ability to remain on station and on mission in critical regions for months at a time is why our fleet serves as a powerful deterrent to bad actors. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Navy in its mission to secure the country’s maritime approaches and southern border.”
The Voyager USVs are operating in support of the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) and US Naval Forces Southern Command/US Navy Fourth Fleet.
Saildrone has operated Voyager USVs in the region since 2023. During that time, Saildrone has routinely integrated with Fourth Fleet operators and watchstanders, helping create an operational environment in which manned and unmanned forces work together to maintain persistent maritime domain awareness.
Voyager is a 10-meter-long, long-dwell unmanned surface vehicle designed for persistent surface and subsurface surveillance to enhance maritime domain awareness. In addition to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, the USV can conduct near-shore mapping missions and seafloor characterization.