The MARTAC Innovation Center West will serve as a hub for research, development, testing, and customer engagement, complementing MARTAC’s headquarters in Melbourne, Florida. San Diego’s deep ties to the US Navy, its thriving defense technology ecosystem, and its access to open-water testing environments make it the ideal location for MARTAC’s next phase of growth.
“The opening of our Innovation Center West represents a pivotal step in MARTAC’s growth strategy,” said Jim Harvey, Chief Technology Officer of MARTAC. “San Diego is home to the largest concentration of naval assets in the world and an unmatched community of defense innovators. Establishing this facility allows us to work more closely with our customers, accelerate development timelines, and expand the reach of our autonomous maritime solutions.”
The new center will support a range of activities, including advanced engineering and systems integration, live-water demonstrations of MARTAC’s autonomous vessels, customer training and mission planning, and collaborative development with defense and industry partners. The facility is expected to create new jobs in the San Diego area and further cement MARTAC’s position as a leader in the rapidly growing unmanned maritime systems market.
MARTAC’s facility expansion comes at a time of accelerating demand for autonomous maritime capabilities. The US Navy has outlined plans to significantly grow its fleet to include a substantial number of uncrewed vessels, and MARTAC’s combat-proven platforms—including the MANTAS™ T-series and Devil Ray™—are already in operational deployment supporting fleet operations worldwide.
“Our customers are telling us they need more capacity, faster delivery and closer collaboration,” Tony Smeraglinolo, CEO, added. “The Innovation Center West answers all three. It positions MARTAC to scale alongside the growing demand for autonomous maritime systems and ensures we remain at the forefront of this critical national security capability.”
