Cellula Robotics and Metron Sign Agreement to Deliver Next-Generation Undersea Capability for the US Defense Market

19 May 2026

Neil Manning (left) and Van Gurley (right). (Image credit: Cellula Robotics)

Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron, Inc. have signed a 10-year agreement to deliver a combined solution for the United States defense market, bringing together Cellula’s commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) long-endurance autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) platforms with Metron’s best-in-class adaptive mission autonomy and decades of proven undersea warfare and maritime domain expertise.

Building on their successful collaboration to date, including work supporting the Defense Innovation Unit’s CAMP project, the agreement establishes a long-term framework focused on faster fielding, strong operational performance, and confidence in long-term support.

The agreement reflects growing demand in the US defense market for solutions that can move rapidly from program need to operational deployment, quickly scale, and deliver the autonomy, endurance, reliability, and payload modularity necessary to be operationally relevant.

By combining Cellula’s proven vehicle platforms with Metron’s mission-tailored autonomy, integration pathways, and decision superiority ecosystem, the team offers a mission-ready capability designed to meet evolving defense requirements in demanding underwater environments.

“We’ve worked closely with Metron over the last three years, and this agreement builds on that successful relationship,” said Neil Manning, CEO of Cellula Robotics. “It gives customers greater confidence in supply, long-term support, and operational performance by bringing together complementary strengths in a solution designed to be fielded faster and aligned closely with mission needs.”

The agreement also strengthens Cellula’s position in the US defense market through its growing US team and long-term collaboration with an established American partner. Metron’s four decades of experience and strong relationships across the US defense ecosystem provide valuable alignment with customer requirements, mission priorities, operator needs, and program expectations. The partnership is complementary to Cellula’s US and global network of marine-focused technology solution providers.

The collaboration is designed around a modular, open-architecture approach that supports continued integration of third-party sensors, payloads, and mission systems, helping ensure the solution remains adaptable as technologies evolve and customer requirements change.

“Cellula brings a proven, flexible COTS platform approach to the partnership. That is important for defense customers looking for capability that can be adapted, integrated, and fielded quickly with confidence,” said Van Gurley, President and CEO of Metron, Inc. “Together, we are combining our autonomy, mission planning, and novel payload options with Cellula’s long-endurance AUV platforms in a way that delivers the next-generation autonomous undersea system the US Navy has been pursuing for over a decade.”