US Navy conducts first GARC kamikaze sea drone strike on USS Peleliu in RIMPAC 2026 SINKEX exercise.

On July 17, 2026, the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 deployed two Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) in a live-fire engagement against the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu during exercise RIMPAC 2026 near Hawaii. The strike evaluated the tactical employment of low-profile, autonomous surface vessels delivering 454-kilogram warheads against a major warship following primary long-range missile and air strikes. Operating after initial target defenses were disrupted allowed the uncrewed craft to navigate through surface debris and detonate near the target's waterline to induce localized structural damage and internal flooding.

The 4.8-meter GARC carries a 454-kilogram modular payload representing over 20 percent of its 2.18-tonne full-load displacement, enabling an operational range up to 1,600 nautical miles at five knots. Manufactured by BlackSea Technologies, the system was integrated into RIMPAC 2026 command-and-control networks to validate multi-vessel autonomous operations under supervisory human control.

Related topic: Canadian submarine HMCS Corner Brook sinks retired USS Mobile Bay cruiser with Mk 48 torpedo during RIMPAC 2026

Two GARCs approached the former Tarawa-class ship after it had already sustained missile damage, and the USS Peleliu ultimately sank approximately 15,000 feet deep, more than 50 nautical miles north of Kauai. (Picture source: US Navy)

On July 17, 2026, the U.S. Navy used the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) in a live-fire attack for the first time, directing two small unmanned surface vessels (USVs) against the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu during the RIMPAC exercise near Hawaii. The craft were operated by the Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32) and entered the engagement after larger weapons had already struck the target, as part of a coordinated attack. The two vessels detonated near the waterline, adding localized blast, structural deformation, and flooding to damage produced by missiles, aircraft, submarines, and land-based firing units. The engagement demonstrated that a small, container-transportable vessel carrying as much as 454 kilograms of payload could contribute to the destruction of a major warship.

RIMPAC 2026 involved 30 nations, approximately 30 ships, five submarines, more than 190 aircraft, 15 national land forces and over 30,000 personnel between June 24 and July 31, allowing the US Navy to place the GARC inside the command, communications and weapons control structure of a large combined exercise. The GARCs were committed after USS Peleliu had been struck by other weapons, including submarine-launched UGM-84 Harpoon missiles, air-launched anti-ship weapons, land-based missiles and helicopter-fired precision weapons. This sequencing operationally reduced the requirement for the GARCs to penetrate an intact defensive screen and instead tested their value as follow-on effectors against a target whose sensors, weapons, power distribution and damage control organization would already have been disrupted in a wartime scenario.

A small unmanned craft may be particularly useful during this stage because it can be directed toward a damaged section of the hull, a machinery-space boundary, the stern, the well-deck area or another vulnerable point that has become accessible after the initial missile salvo. Its low profile and limited radar cross-section also create a different detection problem from an aircraft or conventional anti-ship missile, particularly when the craft operates close to the sea surface and approaches amid floating debris, smoke, fires and electronic interference. The Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu measured approximately 250 meters in length, 32.5 meters in beam and 8.2 meters in draft, with a full-load displacement of about 39,438 long tons.

Its internal arrangement included a full-length flight deck, aviation hangar, well deck, vehicle spaces, fuel tanks, magazines, engineering compartments, troop accommodation, medical facilities, workshops and command spaces distributed through a large, subdivided hull. The ship was powered by two boilers and two Westinghouse steam turbines and could reach approximately 24 knots during active service. Its wartime complement could exceed 2,800 personnel when the ship’s company, aviation personnel and embarked Marine force were combined. A typical aviation group could include AV-8B Harrier attack aircraft, CH-53 heavy-lift helicopters, AH-1 attack helicopters, UH-1 utility helicopters, CH-46 transports and MV-22 Ospreys, while its well deck supported landing craft and amphibious vehicles.

Flooding near the machinery spaces, loss of electrical distribution, damage to aviation fuel systems, deformation of the well-deck gate, reduced stability, or obstruction of aircraft operations could remove the ship from an amphibious operation even if the hull remained afloat. A fully loaded GARC displaces approximately 4,800 pounds, or 2.18 tonnes, making the target more than 18,000 times heavier than each attacking USV. The GARC is 4.8 meters long and 1.75 meters wide and can carry a modular payload weighing as much as 1,000 pounds, or approximately 454 kilograms. The maximum payload therefore equals about 20.8 percent of the craft’s full-load displacement, a ratio made possible by eliminating crew spaces, armor, life support equipment, habitability systems and most of the machinery required by a manned boat.

A 454-kilogram explosive payload would not create the same underwater shock effect as a Mk 48 heavyweight torpedo, which carries a larger warhead and detonates beneath or close to the keel. It could nevertheless rupture hull plating, damage frames, breach tanks, destroy exposed sensors, deform doors or hatches, and initiate flooding if detonated directly against or immediately beside the hull. Several GARCs arriving from different bearings could create multiple damage points, increase the burden on defensive weapons, and force a crew to divide damage control personnel between simultaneous fires, flooding, and system failures due to a wide range of weapons. The GARC also combines a relatively small hull with the endurance needed for missions extending well beyond a harbor or coastal security area.

Its propulsion system uses a 200-horsepower inboard diesel engine, providing a normal cruising speed of approximately 22 knots and a maximum speed of about 40 knots. With 163 U.S. gallons of fuel, the GARC has a quoted range of roughly 700 nautical miles at 22 knots and as much as 1,600 nautical miles at five knots. A 700-nautical-mile transit at 22 knots would require almost 32 hours of continuous operation, excluding fuel reserve, maneuvering, adverse weather, and time spent loitering. A 1,600-nautical-mile mission at five knots would represent approximately 320 hours, or more than 13 days. However, practical endurance would depend on payload electrical demand, sea conditions, and the requirement to retain fuel for the terminal phase. This speed-range relationship allows the craft to move economically during the initial portion of a mission and accelerate only when approaching a target, crossing a threat area or reacting to a new task.

The hull is rated for operations in Sea State 5, corresponding to significant wave heights of approximately 2.5 to four meters, and GARCs have already operated in conditions involving waves of roughly 15 feet. The craft can also fit inside a standard 20-foot intermodal container, allowing transport by road, rail, cargo aircraft, or sealift without a dedicated boat trailer or specialized port infrastructure. Moreover, the GARC is not limited to the one-way attack configuration used against USS Peleliu. The hull contains a modular payload section that can be equipped with electro-optical and infrared cameras, surface-search radar, passive electronic support sensors, communications relays, mine countermeasure equipment, hydrographic sensors, anti-submarine payloads, or systems used to deploy smaller unmanned vehicles. The craft can perform waypoint navigation, station keeping, route following, patrol, loitering and remote-controlled maneuvering, while transmitting its location, machinery status and mission data to an operator.

During Integrated Battle Problem 24.1, US Navy personnel used the autonomy baseline library to control three GARCs and one Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle, including maintaining position relative to a moving ship and navigating around hazards. Multi-domain unmanned secure integrated communications connected the unmanned systems to a broader mesh network intended to exchange information among surface vessels, aircraft, shore nodes, and other platforms. These functions are essential because the US Navy cannot scale up a force of dozens or hundreds of small vessels if each craft requires a single operator to continuously manipulate a steering control. Operational employment instead requires one team to supervise several unmanned vessels, assign routes and tasks, monitor exceptions, and intervene only when the autonomy system cannot resolve a navigation, communications, or mission problem.

The GARC’s production history also differs from that of conventional shipbuilding. The initial acquisition used the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies mechanism to fund 24 GARCs for US Navy testing and fleet distribution. Four craft reached Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3 at Naval Base San Diego on February 5, 2024, giving the unit a common platform for operator training, maintenance development, and tactical experimentation. A production contract awarded in July 2024 introduced a modified configuration to increase range, improve mechanical reliability, and standardize enclosures for computing and communications equipment.

By January 2025, the US Department of Defense had obligated more than $160 million to the effort, while the US Navy was examining production at a rate of as many as 32 vessels per month. BlackSea Technologies already established a manufacturing line at the former Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore with the capacity to complete approximately one craft per day. A production rate of one vessel every calendar day would equal 365 hulls annually, while a rate of eight per working week would approach 400 units in a full production year. For the US Navy, the July 2026 live-fire attack marked a transition from USV experimentation toward incorporation. GARCs have been assigned to Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3, Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 7, and USVDIV-32 and have participated in exercises including BALTOPS, Dynamic Messenger, REPMUS, UNITAS, and RIMPAC. 

During Dynamic Messenger and REPMUS 2025, three GARCs were involved in the protection of critical maritime infrastructure against attacking unmanned systems in an event that included more than 250 robotic platforms, approximately 3,800 personnel, and 22 nations. During UNITAS 2025, USS Cooperstown supported GARCs and other unmanned surface, underwater, and aerial systems as a command and logistics hub. The US Navy has also created the Robotics Warfare Specialist enlisted rating to provide personnel trained in the operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of autonomous platforms, while developing a Surface Warfare Officer unmanned systems career path intended to alternate officers between crewed warships and robotic units. Finally, acquisition authority is being consolidated under the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Robotics and Autonomous Systems, which is expected to oversee dozens of Navy and Marine Corps programs representing approximately $19 billion in planned acquisition activity over five years.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.

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