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US Navy conducts first live-fire training with GARC uncrewed surface vessel
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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.
Source report
The U.S. Navy is rapidly advancing its unmanned surface fleet, confirming its first live-fire training exercise involving the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) uncrewed surface vessel.
This milestone comes just over two weeks after U.S. Central Command used three Corsair unmanned surface vessels to strike a submarine and ship maintenance facility at the Bandar Abbas naval base in Iran — marking the "first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations."
SINKEX Event During RIMPAC
Two former U.S. warships — the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu and the cruiser USS Mobile Bay — were sent below the seas off the coast of Hawaii during a live sinking exercise (SINKEX) as part of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise.
On July 24, the Navy released footage of the sinking, including the USV targeting the hulk of the USS Peleliu.
Command Confirmation
Sarah Weinstein, a surface warfare officer currently serving as the first Commanding Officer of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32), confirmed that her division was behind the execution of the Navy's first GARC live fire.
"It was incredible to watch my team execute with precision and we were thrilled to provide a perspective of the former USS Peleliu that often isn't often captured in a SINKEX," Weinstein wrote on LinkedIn.
GARC Capabilities
The sinking, which took place on July 17, placed the GARC at the center of the Peleliu SINKEX. Created by Baltimore-based BlackSea Technologies, the company describes the GARC as the "most proven tactical sUSV on the water."
Key specifications include:
- Payload capacity: Up to 1,000 pounds
- Range: 700 nautical miles at a speed of 22 knots
- Length: 16 feet
BlackSea notes that the GARC "combines modular payload flexibility, advanced autonomy, and rugged endurance."
Operators can control the vessels individually or as a swarm. The vessel can be driven manually or given a target to follow using radar.
Recent Deployments and Future Outlook
In August 2025, the Navy announced that it was "experimenting with the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC)" to support naval operations. Just last month, USVDIV-32 utilized the drone boats during Exercise BALTOPS 2026, one of NATO's premier maritime exercises.
"We are at the beginning and we don't even know where we're going to take it yet," Weinstein told The Wall Street Journal in June. "The GARC originally was designed to kind of do a limited skill set, and we've turned it into something that can do escort, that can do surveillance, intelligence, maritime domain awareness, and we've already with one platform been able to expand what is in the realm of possible."
With its role in sinking the USS Peleliu, the GARC continues to surpass its testing milestones as it moves toward operational deployment.
About the author: Claire Barrett is an editor and military history correspondent for Military Times. She is also a World War II researcher with an affinity for Sir Winston Churchill and Michigan football.
Source
Defense NewsWestern
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