Top 16 Military Underwater Drone startups

Updated: Dec 28, 2025
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These companies specialize in creating autonomous or remotely operated underwater drones for various naval applications, including reconnaissance, surveillance, mine countermeasures and underwater mapping.
1
Albacore
Country: USA | Funding: $6.5M
Albacore is a developer of long-range autonomous underwater vehicles designed to deter maritime invasions.
2
Vatn
Country: USA | Funding: $73M
Vatn Systems creates affordable autonomous underwater vehicles that operate in cooperative groups (swarms). They use machine vision systems and AI-based navigation software that operates effectively in environments with limited access to GPS, while simultaneously reducing hardware costs. The modular design allows the vehicle to be tailored to the required range, accuracy and sensors for each mission at minimal cost. Vatn's UAVs synchronize in time and space to perform collaborative missions, enabling the rapid completion of complex missions. This is achieved through advanced trajectory planning and low-bandwidth, covert communications between UAVs. Vatn's primary investor and partner is the South Korean shipping giant Hanwha Group, which builds submarines.
3
Anduril
Country: USA | Funding: $6.2B
Anduril Industries is a defense product company that builds technology for military agencies and border surveillance. Provider of AI-based surveillance and reconnaissance solutions for the defense sector. It offers an autonomous operational platform based on sensor fusion, machine learning, and mesh networking to monitor and control warfare assets.
4
L3Harris
Country: USA | Funding: $2.3B
L3 Harris is a proven leader in tactical communications, geospatial systems, air traffic management, avionics, and space and intelligence.
5
Hanwha Systems
Country: South Korea | Funding: $251M
Hanwha Systems is an aerospace company providing defense electronics and smart ICT solutions.
6
Kraken Robotics
Country: Canada | Funding: $203.6M
Kraken Robotics develops high speed, actively stabilized Synthetic Aperture Sonar towfish that operates at speeds up to 10 knots.
7
Naval Group
Country: France
Naval Group is a defense contractor and industrial group that specialized in naval-based defense platform and the marine renewable energy.
8
MSubs
Country: UK
MSubs manufactures vessels for external pressure, including reinforcement for hatches and wide openings, foundations, and lifts.
9
Terradepth
Country: USA | Funding: $30.1M
Terradepth utilizes the most innovative contractor-owned robotics and data management solution to deliver best-in-class ocean data at Petabyte scale in near real-time. We offer maximum force multiplication with our vertically integrated end-to-end solution for defense.
10
Vatn Systems
Country: USA | Funding: $13M
Vatn Systems builds affordable autonomous underwater vehicles that act in cooperative swarms.
11
Blueye Robotics
Country: Norway | Funding: NOK51M
Blueye aim to limit risk for divers, protect critical infrastructure and investigate possible threats underwater using ROVs.
12
EyeROV
Country: India | Funding: $1.9M
EyeROV develops underwater drone/remotely operated vehicle (ROV) TUNA used for search and recovery, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), port security, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).
13
Thunder Tiger
Country: Taiwan
Thunder Tiger manufactures and sells radio controled air, underwater and surface drones.
14
ecoSUB Robotics
Country: UK
ecoSUB Robotics are designers and manufactures of advanced, small, low cost autonomous underwater vehicles.
15
Eelume
Country: Norway
Eelume develops subsea self-propelled vehicles with autonomous robotic arms whose slender and flexible body can transit over long distances and carry out IMR in confined spaces not accessible by conventional underwater vehicles.
16
Skana Robotics
Country: Israel
Skana Robotics delivers mass-produced, software-defined autonomous vessels that enable countries and fleets to be self-sustained through mass deployment.
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Bruce Makowsky
Editor: Bruce Makowsky
Bruce Makowsky has covered military, cyber and IT news since 2009, with a focus on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations, acquisition programs and budgets. In particular he worked for Inside Defense. Bruce holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University. Bruce is also an award-winning photographer, renowned for his captivating images that have earned him numerous accolades and widespread recognition in the photography community. You can contact Bruce at makowsky(at)militarystartups(dot)com