Vatn Systems, a defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for the U.S. military and allies, along with commercial customers, today announced the launch of its new AUV-torpedo product line, the Skelmir S12, and the opening of a manufacturing facility, which is capable of producing up to 2,000 vehicles annually.
The 12.75-inch diameter AUV is designed to be agnostically deployed from submarines, surface vessels, and aircraft, and it can serve multiple mission profiles including torpedo operations, sensor platforms, and electronic warfare capabilities.
The Skelmir S12, in its AUV configuration, has successfully completed its first exercise and the first production run has already been sold to government customers, with deliveries expected this year. The torpedo variant will be manufactured and delivered next year.
The company’s new manufacturing facility leverages patent-pending modular design and vertical integration techniques, enabling rapid production at a scale previously unseen in the underwater vehicle market.
“With current industry standards at about 200 vehicles per year, this facility will enable a strong competitive differentiation for us as we scale production capacity to 2,000+ vehicles annually to meet growing customer demand,” said Brendan Smith, Director of Manufacturing at Vatn Systems. Smith recently joined the team from Boston Dynamics, where he led the scaling of manufacturing operations for multiple robot hardware programs from early stage development to high rate production. “By leveraging modular design and vertically integrated production, we’re able to reduce lead times, minimize handoffs, and eliminate many of the inefficiencies common in traditional assembly processes,” Smith added. “This approach gives us tighter control over quality, faster iteration cycles, and the ability to rapidly scale output as demand increases.”
Vatn recently announced a partnership with Palantir that enables the company to digitize its manufacturing process and provide AI-driven insights to accelerate the production of AUVs built in the new facility, which is expected to reach full production capability in July 2025.