Red Cat adds attack drone boat to U.S.-built USV lineup

Red Cat Holdings’ maritime division, Blue Ops, has opened orders for two new uncrewed surface vessels, an 18-foot boat built for reconnaissance and one-way attack missions and a 39-foot vessel already in low-rate production, as part of a new B-Series lineup named after each boat’s length.

The company announced the family on Oct. 22, 2026. The B-18 has completed sea trials and is available for orders ahead of its original schedule, the B-39 is in low-rate production and also available for orders, and the flagship B-26, previously called Variant 7, is already in full-rate production. Blue Ops said the designations follow the traditional American approach of naming vessels by length in feet, which puts the three boats at roughly 5.5 meters, 7.9 meters and 11.9 meters.

The B-18 is the smallest and most aggressive of the three. Blue Ops said it is built around the internationally recognized form factor for one-way attack vessels, the explosive-laden drone boats designed to ram their targets, and that it was developed with U.S. Navy requirements in mind, including deployment from Littoral Combat Ships. Its listed missions are tactical reconnaissance, shipboard launch and recovery, and one-way attack, using a Modular Open Systems Approach architecture that lets operators swap in different payloads and equipment.

The company pitched the B-18 at a U.S. Navy that, in Blue Ops’ words, is reassessing its autonomous surface vessel requirements and looking at more capable, cost-effective options.

The B-39 is aimed at longer missions. It is built on an established commercial vessel platform with an existing manufacturing base, and Blue Ops said it offers more range, endurance and payload capacity than its smaller boats for persistent maritime surveillance, integrated defense systems and logistics, with room to add sensors, mission payloads and command-and-control systems.

“The Navy doesn’t need examples of what autonomous vessels might deliver years from now. It needs affordable, reliable systems that perform in real-world conditions and are available today,” said Barry Hinckley, president of Blue Ops. “That’s exactly what we’re building at Blue Ops. From one-way attack and tactical reconnaissance to maritime defense and logistics, our B-Series vessels are designed to meet immediate operational needs. Combined with Red Cat’s aerial assets, we’re delivering a complete family of systems that gives U.S. and allied forces the capabilities and flexibility to operate across air and sea.”

The B-26 is the most established boat in the family. As the Variant 7, it was described by Hinckley earlier this year as a 7.8-meter vessel with a stated range of 800 nautical miles (1,480 km) at 40 knots and a payload capacity of 1,800 pounds (816 kg), and Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson said a base configuration costs about $700,000 before weapons or counter-drone payloads are added. The boat moved into full-rate production in May 2026, and Blue Ops has since added Kymeta multi-orbit satellite communications and a Volvo Penta diesel propulsion option.

Red Cat launched Blue Ops in August 2025, building its first prototypes with Hodgdon Shipbuilding in Maine before moving production to a 155,000-square-foot plant in Valdosta, Georgia, which marked its first year of operation in September. Red Cat told investors in March that it aims to build more than 100 USVs in 2026 at the Georgia site.

Blue Ops is now taking orders for both the B-18 and B-39, with the B-26 continuing in full-rate production in Valdosta.