Saronic to build $3bn Texas shipyard after Iran drone strikes
After its drones saw combat against Iran, US firm Saronic will build a $3 billion Texas shipyard to scale autonomous vessel production, accelerating a transatlantic naval arms race against China's manufacturing dominance.
Saronic, the American maker of autonomous naval drones, will build a $3 billion shipyard in Brownsville, Texas. Called Port Alpha, the facility is slated to open in 2028 and will eventually span 4,400 acres, capable of producing vessels longer than 1,200 feet.
The announcement follows the first combat use of unmanned surface vessels by American forces. On July 12, three of Saronic’s 24-foot Corsair drones struck Iran’s Bandar Abbas naval base. Weeks earlier, a Corsair helped rescue two soldiers after an Apache helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz.
For European allies, the project signals a rapid escalation in how Washington plans to project naval power and close the staggering shipbuilding gap with China. By automating production and vessel operation, the US is attempting to bypass the skilled labor shortages that have constrained both American and European naval output.
Saronic currently builds the 24-foot Corsair, for which it holds a $392 million Navy contract, and the 180-foot Marauder at a $300 million facility in Louisiana. Port Alpha will allow the company to construct much larger hulls. “Those ships might not be fully autonomous or fully unmanned on day one,” said Dino Mavrookas, Saronic’s co-founder and chief executive. “But over time, as we look at building out the tech and building out the industry as a whole, there’s no reason that you can’t unman those ships completely.”
The yard is explicitly tied to a US federal push to rebuild its maritime sector. Saronic linked the project to an April 2025 executive order on maritime dominance, the SHIPS for America Act, and a federal Maritime Action Plan. “America’s maritime future depends on our ability to build again,” Mavrookas said, adding the yard aims “to deliver ships at a speed and scale not seen since World War II.”
Texas secured the facility over competing bids from California and Virginia. The state offered an $80 million grant from the Texas Enterprise Fund, while Cameron County approved a 95% tax abatement over two decades, contingent on Saronic filling 35% of the yard's projected 10,000 jobs with local residents. The deal faced local opposition from residents questioning why a company valued at $9.25 billion needed tax relief.
Saronic is one of seven companies competing for the US Navy’s medium unmanned surface vessel contract, with at-sea testing running through October. If successful, the company’s shift from small drones to massive, potentially unmanned warships could fundamentally alter NATO's fleet composition and force European navies to accelerate their own autonomous programs to maintain interoperability.
