Aevex, Lockheed Martin and Thales deals highlight consolidation in naval technology
BlackSea Technologies has delivered its Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Crafts to the US Navy. (Photo BlackSea Technologies)
A wave of acquisitions is bringing specialist autonomy and underwater technology under the umbrella of larger defence contractors. As a result, navies may gain faster access to capability, but not necessarily a broader choice of suppliers.
On 8 September, US firm Aevex completed its acquisition of BlackSea Technologies, turning a company rooted in airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance into a multi-domain autonomous systems provider with its own maritime division.
BlackSea brings to the corporate table more than 350 delivered uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), 25,000 operational hours and a Baltimore production facility capable, according to the company, of manufacturing around 40 more USVs each month. Aevex, meanwhile, contributes autonomy software, payload integration and experience scaling uncrewed aircraft.
The combination illustrates how many new companies are entering the naval market, although it also raises a more difficult question:
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