Mysterious Naval Vessel Spotted In Washington State Is A New DARPA Drone Ship

A slender, partially covered naval ship that recently emerged in Washington state is the Defiant, a new medium-sized uncrewed surface vessel (USV) designed from the keel up to operate without any humans ever onboard. Developed under the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program, Defiant could be an important stepping stone for the U.S. Navy’s ambitions to add larger and more capable USVs to its fleets. DARPA confirmed to TWZ that construction of the Defiant, also known by the hull code USX-1, was completed earlier this month.