Raytheon has been selected by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a new sensing and targeting system aimed at protecting commercial shipping and naval logistics vessels from emerging maritime threats.
The RTX-owned defence contractor will lead the work under DARPA’s Pulling Guard programme, which focuses on countering risks posed by unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and other low-cost, asymmetric threats at sea.
Under the contract, Raytheon’s advanced technology team will design and demonstrate a system combining electro-optical and infrared sensors, detection software and command-and-control tools to improve situational awareness and response times for vessels operating in high-risk areas.
The concept centres on a tethered drone carrying sensors, deployed from a semi-autonomous unmanned platform towed behind commercial or naval logistics ships. The system is designed to feed real-time tracking data to remote operators, allowing earlier threat identification and faster decision-making without placing crew in harm’s way.
Initial work will focus on simulated engagements to test system performance and operator workflows. A second phase will move towards integrating operational launchers and effectors for live demonstrations.
Raytheon said the technology is intended to provide a scalable and cost-effective layer of protection for ships transiting volatile regions, including areas such as the Red Sea, where commercial vessels have faced increasing security risks.
Beyond convoy and logistics vessel defence, the company said the system could also support wider naval operations, including automated overwatch for unmanned and manned vessels across multiple theatres.
