While USVs can easily deploy, they generally cannot return to a moving “mother ship” autonomously because the final approach requires millimeter-level precision to avoid catastrophic collision.
By Hezy Laing
Sealartec, a Haifa-based startup founded in 2018 by Alon Cohen and Peleg, addresses the single greatest bottleneck in unmanned naval warfare: the recovery of Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) in rough seas.
While USVs can easily deploy, they generally cannot return to a moving “mother ship” autonomously because the final approach requires millimeter-level precision to avoid catastrophic collision.
In sea states above 3 or 4 (waves of 1.25 to 2.5 meters), the turbulent wake of the mother ship, combined with the “suction effect” and violent relative motion between two floating bodies, makes manual docking by a remote operator nearly impossible and extremely dangerous.
Traditional crane or davit recovery relies on human crews tossing ropes in chaotic conditions, a process that often leads to vessel damage, injury, or the complete inability to recover the asset, forcing commanders to abort missions or scuttle expensive drones when weather deteriorates.
Sealartec’s solution, the Autonomous Launch and Recovery System (ALRS), eliminates this human risk factor using a patented robotic capture device and hydrodynamic floating structure.
The system utilizes a Local Positioning System (LPS) and sensor fusion to track the USV in real-time, autonomously guiding it into a capture cradle and securing it in under 20 seconds even in Sea State 6 (waves up to 6 meters).
This capability is critical because it allows mother ships to remain underway at speed during recovery, rather than stopping and exposing themselves to enemy fire in calm waters.
The technology has been adopted by the Israeli Navy, the US Navy (tested on the Stiletto program), and the US Coast Guard, enabling continuous operations in the Strait of Hormuz and other contested zones where weather and threat levels prohibit traditional recovery.
The broader robotic navy vessel market is exploding, driven by the need to keep sailors out of harm’s way.
The global USV market was valued at approximately $2.2 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach $7.15 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of nearly 14%.
North America currently dominates with a 36.7% share, fueled by massive defense investments in autonomous mine countermeasures and swarm tactics.
However, without reliable recovery systems like Sealartec’s, the operational utility of these billions in investment remains limited to calm weather, rendering fleets ineffective in the very conditions where naval superiority is most needed.
