Gecko Robotics, a Pittsburgh-based automated inspection company, has secured a $300 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with the U.S. Navy to support vessel maintenance and structural inspection using robotic technologies. The company's robotic inspection systems are designed to examine steel structures, detect flaws and create digital records of asset condition to support maintenance planning.
The contract aims to help the Navy improve maintenance preparation and reduce the time vessels spend in shipyards. Better information about a vessel's structural condition can help maintenance teams plan work more efficiently, make better use of shipyard capacity and return vessels to service sooner.
Robotic Inspection to Support Naval Fleet Readiness
According to Gecko Robotics, its systems can identify structural issues on naval vessels up to 50 times faster than conventional human inspection methods. The company says its digital inspections can be completed in days, providing detailed information to support maintenance decisions.
The technology can crawl across steel structures, including aircraft carrier flight decks, and scan through thick non-skid coatings. Combined with artificial intelligence (AI) analysis, the inspection process generates a detailed map of corrosion, helping teams assess structural condition and plan maintenance activities.
For the Navy, reducing shipyard time is a key element of sustainment planning. Improved visibility into vessel condition can help prepare for maintenance periods, optimise the use of shipyard resources and support the Navy's goal of maintaining 80% combat surge readiness at any given time.
“With savings of millions of dollars per ship, months of inspections turning into days and warships returning to sea faster, the U.S. Navy is demonstrating to the world how to deploy technology at scale," said Gecko Robotics co-founder and CEO Jake Loosararian.
Expanding an Existing U.S. Navy Partnership
The $300 million contract builds on a previous $71 million award announced in March, which covered inspection work on 18 ships in the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The latest agreement expands Gecko Robotics' role in supporting naval vessel inspection and maintenance.
The use of robotic inspection and digital condition data is intended to help identify structural issues earlier in the maintenance-planning process, enabling teams to better understand asset requirements before vessels enter shipyards.
Nondestructive Testing for Submarine Manufacturing
Gecko Robotics will also be involved in nondestructive testing (NDT) of submarine components at future manufacturing facilities operated by Anduril. The planned locations include Sparrows Point in Baltimore, Maryland, and Orange County, California.
The Sparrows Point facility is expected to begin operations in 2030, while work at the Orange County site is already underway. Gecko's involvement extends the company's inspection activities beyond in-service naval vessels to submarine component manufacturing.
The contract highlights the growing role of robotic inspection, digital asset records and AI-assisted analysis in supporting structural assessment, maintenance planning and naval fleet sustainment.
Reference: https://maritime-executive.com/article/u-s-navy-awards-300m-contract-to-robotic-inspection-startup-gecko
