The fleet of medium unmanned surface vessels in the Indo-Pacific is expected to grow to at least 30, with smaller USVs and unmanned aerial systems.
www.defensenews.com
“These unmanned circuit special squadrons in these theaters are going to be operating and maintaining a lot of those things, along with a contractor-led higher-level maintenance,” Miller concluded.
news.usni.org/2026/03/26/navy-creates-new-marketplace-for-medium-unmanned-surface-vessels-after-cancelling-masc-program
The new marketplace is seeking four components from vendors who respond to the solicitation: the technical design, multiple types of business models – including government-owned, government-operated and contractor-owned, contractor-operated options – the supply chain and sustainment of the platforms throughout their life span, and a test plan.
....
Ukraine also operates a "marketplace".
Офіційна платформа Brave1. Державна підтримка, гранти та супровід defence-tech інновацій для оборони України. Подавайте свій проєкт вже сьогодні!
brave1.gov.ua
ABOUT THE BRAVE1 CLUSTER
United coordinational platform created by the Government of Ukraine to promote collaboration between all stakeholders of the defense tech industry by providing them with organizational, informational, and financial support for defense tech projects in Ukraine
FOR PARTNERS
We welcome international partners, investors & corporations to join Brave1
Our goal is to create a strong community of Defense tech stakeholders who benefit from exchanging expertise and opportunities
What do we offer to international partners:
Access the Ukrainian Defense Innovations with a soft-landing procedure for a foreign partners.
Partnership and cooperation between stakeholders from public and private sectors
Organizational support, access to pitches, hackathons, meetups, grants, and investments
Participation in networking events, pitches, demo days, etc.
Development and testing of Ukrainian and international advanced technologies
Investments opportunities in Ukrainian cutting-edge defense tech developments
How it works
Register on a Brave1 portal
Add your project or proposal to the system
Get feedback and assistance from Brave1 team
Priority verticals
Weapon system
Protection and security
Supply and logistics
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Robots
Demining
Cyber security
Intelligence
Navigation
Medical support
Боєприпаси для бпла (Ammunition for UAVs)
en.wikipedia.org
....
To my mind the implication is that the existing system of defining problems, asking for solutions, vetting solutions, debating solutions, choosing solutions, implementing solutions, building a useful force, developing TTPs then employing the solutions against the enemy, is taking too long. It is also leaving too many potentially viable courses of action on the table and unexploited.
Meanwhile others are trying more thing faster and rapidly adjusting according to what they are discovering.
...
The USN, the RN and the RAN are all actively pursuing more of these Public Private Partnerships. They are driven by the pace of change of technology, the lack of available sailors, and (especially in the case of the RN) the lack of money for conventional solutions.
In the RN's case the near term plan is to build cheaper Type 31s and then expand the reach of those five hulls by marrying them with uncrewed OSVs in the MUSV range, Kraken and ARCMIS type launches, Herne and CETUS type XLUUVs, a proliferation of static and mobile underwater assets and various UAVs and a network of privately emplaced and operated sensors. All of these can be supplemented by aircraft and cheaper long range munitions launched from shore.
ukdefencejournal.org.uk
