AIBRIEF
Havoc's collaborative autonomy software will be integrated into Blue Ops' Variant 7 uncrewed surface vessel, with live test fleets planned in Rhode Island and Florida.
A small U.S. uncrewed military surface vessel, the Blue Ops Variant 7, is being outfitted with collaborative-autonomy and command-and-control software from Havoc, designed to let several boats coordinate and let operators swap in new sensors, communications, or payloads without rebuilding the hull. Red Cat's maritime division Blue Ops and Havoc announced the partnership Aug. 17, integrating Havoc's stack across the Variant 7 and "additional platforms as they are introduced" under a Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) that decouples mission tech from the hull, per the companies' release.
Havoc's autonomy is described as "successfully deployed on behalf of the U.S. Department of War in multiple operational contexts" — a company-issued claim. The company site cites a $100M Series A and 25,000+ autonomous-operations hours.
The integration is planned, not fielded. Demonstration, testing, training, and evaluation fleets will be based at Havoc's Rhode Island headquarters and Blue Ops' Florida headquarters, with "coordinated multi-vessel operations" as the explicit ceiling. Blue Ops launched the Variant 7 and integrated Volvo Penta propulsion earlier this month.
"This partnership is exactly what our open-architecture strategy was built for," said Barry Hinckley of Blue Ops. Paul Lwin of Havoc framed the deal as pairing "leading-edge collaborative autonomy software with platform manufacturers who have already proven innovation, excellence, and scale." Target: U.S. and allied defense buyers.