U.S. Navy Tests GARC Kamikaze Drone Boat in RIMPAC Sinking Exercise
On July 17, 2026, the U.S. Navy conducted its first live-fire training exercise with the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), a kamikaze drone boat, during RIMPAC 2026 off Hawaii. The GARC struck the decommissioned USS Peleliu in a sinking exercise (SINKEX), carrying a 1,000-pound payload and using Anduril’s Lattice autonomy. The milestone, announced by USVDIV-32 Commander Sarah Weinstein, follows the Navy’s first combat use of similar USVs against an Iranian facility weeks earlier.
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US Navy Conducts First Live-Fire Training Exercise with GARC Unmanned Surface Vessel
The U.S. Navy has confirmed its first live-fire training exercise involving the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), an uncrewed surface vessel. The exercise took place on July 17, 2026, during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) biennial exercise off the coast of Hawaii. The GARC targeted the hulk of the former amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu in a sinking exercise (SINKEX). The operation was executed by Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), led by Commanding Officer Sarah Weinstein. The GARC, built by BlackSea Technologies, has a 1,000-pound payload capacity, 700-nautical-mile range, and can operate individually or in swarms. This milestone follows the Navy's earlier combat use of three Corsair USVs against an Iranian naval facility in July 2026. The GARC has also been tested in NATO's BALTOPS 2026 exercise and is progressing toward operational deployment.
US Navy Conducts First Live-Fire Training Exercise with GARC Uncrewed Surface Vessel
The U.S. Navy has confirmed its first live-fire training exercise involving the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), an uncrewed surface vessel. The exercise took place on July 17, 2026, during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) off the coast of Hawaii as part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. The GARC targeted the hull of the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu. The operation was executed by Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), led by Commander Sarah Weinstein. The GARC, built by BlackSea Technologies, has a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds, a range of 700 nautical miles, and can be operated individually or in swarms. This milestone follows recent combat use of other USVs by U.S. Central Command and marks a significant step toward operational deployment of the GARC.
US Navy Deploys GARC Uncrewed Surface Vessel in First Live-Fire Training Exercise
The U.S. Navy confirmed its first live-fire training exercise of the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), an uncrewed surface vessel, during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) off the coast of Hawaii on July 17, 2026. The exercise was part of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise and involved targeting the hulk of the former amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu. The GARC, built by BlackSea Technologies, has a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds, a range of 700 nautical miles, and can be operated individually or in swarms. The exercise was executed by Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), commanded by Sarah Weinstein. This milestone follows the Navy's earlier experimentation with GARC and its use in NATO's BALTOPS 2026 exercise, as well as the recent combat deployment of similar Corsair USVs by U.S. Central Command against an Iranian naval facility.
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US Navy conducts first live-fire training exercise with GARC uncrewed surface vessel
The U.S. Navy has confirmed its first live-fire training exercise of the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), an uncrewed surface vessel, during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) off the coast of Hawaii as part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. The GARC targeted the hulk of the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu, which was sunk along with the cruiser USS Mobile Bay on July 17, 2026. The exercise was executed by Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), led by Commanding Officer Sarah Weinstein. The GARC, built by BlackSea Technologies, has a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds, a range of 700 nautical miles, and can be operated individually or in swarms. This milestone follows the Navy's earlier use of Corsair unmanned vessels in combat operations against an Iranian naval facility and the GARC's participation in NATO's BALTOPS 2026 exercise. The Navy continues to expand the GARC's capabilities for surveillance, escort, and maritime domain awareness as it moves toward operational deployment.
US Navy Conducts First Live-Fire Training Exercise with GARC Uncrewed Surface Vessel
The U.S. Navy has confirmed its first live-fire training exercise involving the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), an uncrewed surface vessel (USV). The exercise took place on July 17, 2026, during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) off the coast of Hawaii as part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. The GARC targeted the hulk of the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu. The operation was executed by Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), led by Commander Sarah Weinstein. The GARC, built by BlackSea Technologies, has a 1,000-pound payload capacity, 700-nautical-mile range, and can be operated individually or in swarms. This milestone follows the Navy's earlier experimentation with GARC and its use in NATO's Exercise BALTOPS 2026. The Navy is rapidly expanding the vessel's roles to include escort, surveillance, and maritime domain awareness, moving toward operational deployment.
US Navy Deploys GARC Uncrewed Surface Vessel in First Live-Fire Training Exercise
The U.S. Navy conducted its first live-fire training exercise using the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), an uncrewed surface vessel, during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) off Hawaii on July 17, 2026. The GARC targeted the hulk of the former amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu as part of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. Sarah Weinstein, commanding officer of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), confirmed the milestone. The 16-foot GARC, built by BlackSea Technologies, has a 1,000-pound payload capacity, 700-nautical-mile range, and can operate individually or in swarms. The Navy had been experimenting with GARC since August 2025 and previously used it during NATO's BALTOPS 2026 exercise. This event follows the first combat use of USVs by U.S. Central Command against an Iranian naval facility two weeks earlier.
US Navy conducts first live-fire training exercise with GARC unmanned surface vessel
The U.S. Navy has confirmed its first live-fire training exercise of the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) uncrewed surface vessel, conducted during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) off the coast of Hawaii as part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. On July 17, the GARC targeted the hull of the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu, with footage released on July 24. The exercise was executed by Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), commanded by Sarah Weinstein, who praised her team's precision. The 16-foot GARC, built by BlackSea Technologies, has a 1,000-pound payload capacity, 700-nautical-mile range, and can be operated individually or in swarms. This milestone follows the Navy's earlier use of three Corsair USVs in combat operations against an Iranian naval facility, and the GARC's participation in NATO's Exercise BALTOPS 2026. The Navy continues to expand the vessel's capabilities beyond its original design, including escort, surveillance, and intelligence missions.
US Navy conducts first live-fire training exercise with GARC uncrewed surface vessel
The U.S. Navy confirmed its first live-fire training exercise of the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) uncrewed surface vessel during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) off the coast of Hawaii on July 17, 2026, as part of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. The GARC targeted the hulk of the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu. Sarah Weinstein, commanding officer of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), confirmed her division executed the milestone. The 16-foot GARC, built by BlackSea Technologies, has a 1,000-pound payload capacity, 700-nautical-mile range, and can be operated individually or as a swarm. This exercise follows the Navy's recent combat use of Corsair unmanned vessels against an Iranian naval facility, and the GARC has also been tested during NATO's Exercise BALTOPS 2026. The Navy is expanding the GARC's roles to include escort, surveillance, intelligence, and maritime domain awareness as it progresses toward operational deployment.
Navy's GARC Kamikaze Drone Boat Blows Hole in Ex-USS Peleliu During RIMPAC Sinking Exercise
The U.S. Navy confirmed that its Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) uncrewed surface vessel (USV) participated in its first live-fire training exercise during RIMPAC 2026, attacking the decommissioned amphibious assault ship ex-USS Peleliu in a sinking exercise (SINKEX) on July 17. A video released July 24 showed drone boat footage of the attack. Sarah Weinstein, commanding officer of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), stated the unit executed the Navy's first GARC live fire. Two GARCs were present; one conducted an end-to-end attack using a full autonomy package (Anduril's Lattice) and carrying a 1,000-pound payload. The GARC is a 16-foot USV with a 700-nautical-mile range. USVDIV-32, established in early 2026, also deployed GARCs to BALTOPS 2026 for counter-USV training with NATO allies. The exercise marks a milestone in the Navy's integration of kamikaze drone boats into live-fire operations, following their first combat use weeks earlier.
Navy's GARC Kamikaze Drone Boat Blows Hole in Ex-USS Peleliu During RIMPAC Sinking Exercise
The U.S. Navy confirmed that its Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) uncrewed surface vessel (USV) participated in its first live-fire training exercise during RIMPAC 2026, attacking the decommissioned amphibious assault ship ex-USS Peleliu in a sinking exercise (SINKEX) on July 17. A video released on July 24 showed the drone boat's perspective of damage to the ship. Sarah Weinstein, commanding officer of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32, announced the milestone on LinkedIn. Two GARCs were present, with one used destructively in an end-to-end attack carrying a 1,000-pound payload and using Anduril's Lattice autonomy package. The GARC is a 16-foot USV with a range of 700 nautical miles. USVDIV-32, established earlier this year, includes the new Robotics Warfare Specialist rate. The exercise follows the Navy's first combat use of kamikaze drone boats weeks earlier.