USVs Getting Smarter, Faster and More Flexible

The rapid pace of uncrewed surface vessel (USV) technology development has been on display this month, most recently with CSBC Corp’s military-grade USV Manta being demonstrated at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition.

All components of the trimaran USV are guaranteed to be from non-Chinese sources, and the software used on the ship was developed by a joint venture between domestic and foreign companies, excluding China. It features an expanded rear flight deck that would allow drones to dock, and it is capable of carrying its own drones under its main deck.

Next was the release by Subsea Europe Services of its first in-house market offering, the C-RECON 13-ES. Set to enter service in early 2026, the 4-meter, all-electric vessel is designed is designed for hydrographic surveys, environmental monitoring, and offshore asset inspection.

SES has drawn on years of experience configuring and operating third-party USVs to simplify payload integration and sensor management, a frequent pain point when mobilizing USVs, using its proprietary C-KONTROL technology. This ‘plug and sail’ hardware backbone ensures the smooth installation of a wide range of survey and inspection sensors and accelerates launch readiness. Additionally, a tool-free C-Lock quick-mount deck system, universal C-Fit underwater payload interface and