UNITED STATES OF AMERICA —AEVEX Corp. has received two contracts worth a combined $41.6 million from the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Robotic and Autonomous Systems (PAE RAS) to expand the US Navy's autonomous maritime mine countermeasure capabilities. The agreements cover the production, deployment and operation of two modular systems, SightGlass and Fisher, which will be integrated across existing and newer generations of unmanned surface vessels.
The larger contract, valued at $26 million, covers the Fisher system, while the second award, worth $15.6 million, covers SightGlass. Both systems are intended to work across the Navy's Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) fleet and AEVEX's Lynx and next-generation Chaser small unmanned surface vessels. The awards follow the company's participation in the Defense Innovation Unit's Mine Countermeasures Prize Challenge and earlier integration work involving GARC vessels.
The two payloads perform complementary functions within the mine clearance process. SightGlass is designed to detect, locate and identify underwater mines, while Fisher provides mine reacquisition and neutralization capabilities. When deployed together on compatible unmanned vessels, the systems are intended to support coordinated operations against multiple classes of maritime mines. Fisher was developed through a partnership with VideoRay.
The contracts are significant for the US Navy's efforts to reduce the operational risks associated with conventional mine countermeasure missions. Deploying autonomous surface vessels equipped with specialized detection and neutralization payloads allows mine clearance activities to be conducted remotely, reducing the need to expose crewed ships and personnel to hazardous maritime environments. The approach also supports the expansion of existing unmanned platforms rather than relying exclusively on the introduction of entirely new vessels.
AEVEX Maritime Systems has previously delivered and fielded 325 GARC vessels to the US Navy, with the fleet accumulating more than 25,000 hours of maritime operations. The latest awards build on this deployed infrastructure by adding further mission capabilities to existing and next-generation platforms. Successful implementation could strengthen the operational role of autonomous vessels in naval mine warfare and support broader adoption of modular unmanned systems across maritime defence operations.
For AEVEX, the agreements extend its position in the US naval autonomous systems market and provide additional production and operational work within its maritime division. AEVEX is a US-based defence technology company developing autonomous unmanned platforms, mission software, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance solutions, and electronic warfare capabilities. The awards also demonstrate continued US defence investment in integrating commercially developed autonomous technologies into operational naval capabilities.
