RS Aqua announces strategic partnership with US-based Seasats to bring Autonomous Surface Vehicle to UK and Ireland Defence Market
03 Mar 2026, Portsmouth, UK – RS Aqua today announces a new strategic partnership with Seasats, a San Diego-based unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developer, to introduce their range of security platforms to the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland defence market.
Seasats is recognised for its high-endurance, modular, and user-friendly unmanned surface vessels designed to deliver persistent maritime domain awareness through reliable, extensively tested autonomous operations. Through this partnership, RS Aqua will represent and support the Seasats product portfolio across the UK and Ireland.
Seasats’ inaugural model, the Lightfish, is a modular USV engineered for reliable long-duration autonomous missions. Designed to support defence, maritime security, critical infrastructure protection, and oceanographic research missions, the Seasats USV enables continuous intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and maritime mapping operations while reducing operational risk and lifecycle costs.. Lightfish’s flexible architecture allows integration of a range of payloads, making it adaptable to evolving mission requirements. The Lightfish has been adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps, crossed oceans, and deployed for global operations.
The newest platform in Seasats’ lineup, the Quickfish, is a 5.5 meter high-speed interceptor that offers a unique ability to loiter at sea for multiple weeks. The Quickfish addresses the growing need for coastal security against surface, subsurface, and sUAS threats that are becoming a prevalent global problem. In partnership with RS Aqua, the Quickfish will be provided in the UK to accelerate domestic maritime security capabilities.
With increasing focus on maritime domain awareness, offshore asset protection and unmanned capability development across the UK and NATO partners, the introductions of Lightfish and other USV models in the Seasats portfolio provide defence organisations with a variety of scalable and rapidly deployable solutions.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Seasats to bring their unmanned vessels to the UK and Ireland. Their platforms answer a very real need for persistent, low-risk maritime awareness, whether that’s for security or supporting long-term ocean monitoring. Being able to integrate a multitude of sensors makes it an ideal fit for RS Aqua’s portfolio of ocean intelligence gathering systems.” – Dr. Ryan Mowat, Director of Innovation & Business Development
“We’ve worked closely with UK partners for years, and we’re excited to expand our presence in the UK market in a more formal way. Local expertise and strong allies are critical to successfully fielding technology in hard problem areas, and RS Aqua is that bedrock partner for us in the UK.” – Mike Flanigan, CEO Seasats
Core Capabilities:
- Multi-modal communications: Starlink, Iridium, cellular, MANET radios
- Redundant sensor package: Marine radar, HD and thermal cameras, AIS
- broadcast/receive, LiDAR
- Open systems architecture for integration with third-party C2 platforms
- Browser-based UI operable via secure tablet, laptop, or mobile device
- Launch/recovery in <10 minutes with man-portable components and no shipboard crane or davit required
Technical Specifications:
- Length: 11.4 feet
- Endurance: Multi-month
- Range: 8,000 nautical miles
- Cruise speed: 2.0 knots (5 knots sprint)
- Power: 415W nominal solar;
- Battery: 4.0 kWh lithium-ion
- Operational sea state: Up to Sea State 6
RS Aqua will provide local sales, integration support and customer service, ensuring UK and Irish defence operators have direct access to the full capabilities of the platform.