Move to bring enhanced acoustic capabilities in-house comes as autonomous underwater vehicles reshape naval operations and defense procurement priorities
PORTSMOUTH, R.I., Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Vatn Systems, a defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for the US military, allied nations, and commercial customers, today announced the acquisition of Crewless Marine, a Rhode Island-based company specializing in advanced underwater acoustic sensing and signal processing.
Founded by former Navy engineers, Crewless Marine brings decades of experience in torpedo acoustic systems, hydrophone manufacturing, and real-time signal processing. The acquisition strengthens Vatn’s strategy to vertically integrate its tech stack to control critical technologies, reduce supply chain dependencies, and accelerate development cycles for autonomous systems. Additionally, Crewless is executing on a Navy SBIR for “AI/ML Multi-Sensor/Multi-Target Localization.”
“With this acquisition, we’re solidifying our leadership position in undersea acoustics and accelerating our ability to deliver high-performance, low-cost torpedo solutions at scale,” said Nelson Mills, co-founder and CEO of Vatn Systems. “Acoustic sensing is fundamental to undersea warfare, and owning this capability end-to-end enables us to advance our mission while positioning us to expand into the harbor defense and environment monitoring markets.”
As part of the transaction, Crewless Marine co-founder Steve Bordonaro, PhD, will join Vatn as Chief Engineer for Systems, and co-founder Philip Caspers, PhD, will join as Director of Acoustics. Bordonaro brings over 30 years of experience in acoustic signal processing and autonomous systems, including senior leadership roles at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center where he served as Chief Scientist for the Sensors and Sonar Department and led torpedo guidance and control development.
“Joining Vatn allows us to scale the technologies we’ve spent our careers developing and bring them to a broader set of missions,” said Steve Bordonaro, co-founder of Crewless Marine. “We’re excited to accelerate what’s possible in acoustic sensing and undersea warfare together.”
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. This announcement comes on the heels of Vatn’s $60 million Series A fundraising announcement, and their first international sale to Singapore’s Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), where the company is supporting the enhancement of Singapore’s national defense with scalable, next-generation underwater capabilities.
About Vatn Systems
Vatn Systems is a leading defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles that can be deployed at scale for the US military and allies. Founded in 2023 by a team of maritime experts and military leaders, Vatn Systems is on a mission to be the next underwater defense prime in a world where autonomous systems dominate naval battlefields. For more information, visit www.vatnsystems.com and follow the company on LinkedIn.
About Crewless Marine
Crewless Marine provides autonomous solutions for uncrewed maritime applications.
Founded in 2023, Crewless Marine specializes in technology tailored for uncrewed maritime operations, leveraging expertise in sensor development, embedded hardware design, acoustic signal processing, and data fusion, to provide end-to-end solutions for uncrewed platforms. In 2025, Crewless Marine was acquired by leading defense technology company Vatn Systems. For more information, visit www.crewlessmarine.com.
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SOURCE Vatn Systems
