BlackSea Technologies announced the launch of its Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) family of unmanned surface vessels (USVs), designed to support the U.S. Navy’s efforts to modernize its fleet. According to the company, the MASC platform is intended to provide a modular, multi-mission solution to accelerate the transition to a more distributed and survivable fleet.
The U.S. Navy’s July 2025 solicitation called for modular surface vessels capable of performing a wide range of missions, including anti-surface warfare, strike operations, electronic warfare, mine countermeasures, logistics, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). BlackSea noted that its 66-foot aluminum catamaran was purpose-built to exceed these requirements rather than adapting commercial hulls.
The MASC USV provides 67,200 pounds of payload capacity, 900 square feet of open deck space, and 198 kWe of electrical power for advanced sensors and weapons. It can travel 3,000 nautical miles at 10 knots, with a self-deploying range of up to 10,000 nautical miles, and has a top speed of 25 knots. BlackSea highlighted that the vessel is capable of seven primary mission profiles, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare, strike, logistics, infrastructure monitoring, and mine warfare.
BlackSea said that leveraging its existing Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) production line allows the company to deliver the first fully integrated MASC prototype within six months. The platform shares major subsystem components with the fielded GARC, ensuring supply chain resilience and rapid integration of autonomy, command-and-control, and perception systems.
The hull design uses twin aluminum hulls for low drag and stability, supporting safe launch and recovery of containerized payloads. Powered by dual Volvo Penta D8-IPS600 propulsion units, the MASC’s open architecture is built on the Navy’s Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA), enabling plug-and-play integration of autonomous systems and preventing vendor lock-in.
According to BlackSea, the MASC family provides the Navy with rapid deployment capabilities, operational versatility, and scalable modularity, supporting the service’s goal of distributing lethality across the fleet.
