BlackSea Technologies showcased its Comet unmanned surface vessel (USV) during SOF Week 2026. The Comet is a large, high speed combat ready USV that can conduct a wide variety of missions. BlackSea provided SOF Week attendees information on the Comet in their booth on the exhibition floor as well as a view of the Comet at the adjacent Tampa Bay waterfront.
Comet is designed to bridge the gap between small tactical unmanned surface vessels and larger unmanned combat craft. The 13.1 meter vessel can exceed 45 knots, carry a 10,000 pound payload including fuel, and support advanced payloads for a wide range of missions, including counter UAS, mine countermeasures, surface warfare, antisubmarine warfare, electronic warfare, maritime domain awareness, and high value unit escort.
The Comet is BlackSea Technologies move from small ISR/patrol drone boats into much larger, combat-oriented autonomous maritime platforms designed for special operations, distributed maritime warfare missions, and naval screening. The Comet is an armed combat USV, more than just an ISR platform.
In today’s contemporary operating environment maritime forces must be faster, more adaptable, and more distributed. An unmanned vehicle like the Comet can provide special operations forces a combat ready USV that can carry payloads, sensors, and more. The Comet can be fitted out with the BRAWLR missile system by Sierra Nevada Corp, a 30mm gun system by EOS Defense Systems USA, the RPS 42 MHR array radar by Leonardo DRS RADA, gyro stabilization by Seakeeper, and propulsion provided by Volvo Penta.
Photo: On left is the Comet USV with the Sierra Nevada Corp. BRAWLR missile system. On right is the Comet USV with the EOS Defense Systems USA 30mm gun system.
The Comet mirrors developments seen in Ukraine’s maritime drone campaign, Red Sea operations by Yemen, and current navel activities by both Iran and the United States in the Persian Gulf during Operation Epic Fury. The Comet’s speed and compact size makes it useful for denied-area reconnaissance, offshore ISR, deception operations, EW support, and SOF support. It is ideally suited for the Indo-Pacific region as well as the Red Sea and Persian Gulf areas.
Ukraine has operationalized armed USVs. Several Turkish and Chinese systems also exist. In the U.S., DARPA and Navy programs have previously demonstrated missile-launching USVs.
The rapid evolution of unmanned maritime warfare during the Russia-Ukraine conflict has accelerated global interest in armed USVs. Ukrainian maritime drone operations against Russian naval forces in the Black Sea demonstrated how relatively low-cost autonomous vessels can threaten warships, logistics infrastructure, and maritime patrol operations while imposing disproportionate defensive burdens on traditional naval forces.
BlackSea Technologies provides a wide array of maritime products. One in use by the U.S. Navy is the GARC Sea Drone that is used for autonomous ISR operations. The GARC is currently deployed to the Middle East and is supporting Operation Epic Fury. Compared to the Comet, the GARC is smaller and ISR-focused.
Armed autonomous surface vessels like the Comet illustrates the rapid convergence of precision weapons, autonomy, and distributed maritime operations into a new category of littoral combat systems increasingly relevant to special operations forces.
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About BlackSea Technologies. BlackSea Technologies is a premier naval technology firm enabling new asymmetric strategies so U.S. naval and military forces can prevail over the next several decades in multi-dimensional conflicts. We deliver innovative maritime systems and mission solutions to our nation’s warfighters from the ocean surface to the seabed.
Top Photo: BlackSea Technologies Photo / Comet USV on Dock 18 in Tampa, FL for SOF Week 2026.
