Buying guide
Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor) vs SM300 / SM200 in 2026
Comparing 2 humanoid robots across availability, pricing, capabilities, and verified deployments. Current as of 2026.
Key differences
On DEPLOY's record, Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor) has more verified real-world deployments (5 versus 1) than SM300 / SM200 as of 2026; DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.
- Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor) has more verified real-world deployments (5 vs 1).
| Attribute | No image on file | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Saildrone | Sea Machines Robotics |
| Form factor | maritime_surface | maritime_surface |
| Maturity | commercial | commercial |
| Autonomy | — | — |
| Availability | internal-onlyenterprise | internal-onlyenterprise |
| Price | Not announced | Not announced |
| Capability claims | — | — |
| Brain | — | — |
| Verified deployments | 5 | 1Sea Machines Robotics |
| Privacy practices | — | — |
| Sources on file | 9 | 5 |
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Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor)
SM300 / SM200
Editorial summaries
Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor)
Saildrone (founded 2012 in Alameda, California by Richard Jenkins) is the canonical commercial autonomous-surface-vessel company and the captive data-as-a-service archetype of the maritime category: it owns and operates a fleet of wind- and solar-powered uncrewed surface vehicles and sells data and outcomes, not vessels. The line spans the 7-meter Explorer (ocean data), the 10-meter Voyager (coastal defense and mapping), and the 20-meter Surveyor (bathymetric mapping), with a 52-meter diesel-electric hybrid Spectre announced in 2026 for 2027 delivery that departs from the wind-and-solar identity.
Customers include NOAA, the US Navy's 4th Fleet (counter-narcotics and illegal-fishing patrol), and Denmark's EIFO, and backers include a $100M Series C, a $60M EIFO round (May 2025), and a $50M Lockheed Martin strategic investment (October 2025). DEPLOY records it at commercial maturity, the most mature commercial surface-autonomy player.
A significant cap-flag applies to its cumulative-mileage figures, which are inconsistent across its own channels: the defensible primary anchor is the October 2023 milestone of 1,042,620 nautical miles, 32,438 days at sea, and 136 vehicles; larger 2-to-2.5-million-nautical-mile figures are claimed, not verified. Because it sells data on service contracts and does not sell vessels, there is no consumer price.
SM300 / SM200
Sea Machines Robotics (Boston; founded by Michael Johnson) is the autonomy-system-vendor archetype of the maritime category: it makes the autonomy brain, not the boat. Its SM300 and SM200 autonomous-command systems are vessel-agnostic retrofit kits, about ten components installed in two days or less on existing or new-build workboats from 10 to 300 feet, so the customer owns and operates the hull while Sea Machines licenses the autonomy onto it.
The September 2025 SM300-NG adds class-society-approved hardware, a 200-percent compute increase, full voyage control with collision avoidance and sensor fusion, and worldwide remote command, alongside an attritable SM300-SP defense variant. A late-2024 leadership change brought David Wasson (formerly of Huntington Ingalls) in as CEO with founder Johnson moving to president and CTO, a defense-pull hire on a $10M Series C (March 2025) and about $52M total raised.
DEPLOY records it at commercial maturity on a real shipping product, class-society approval, and more than 200 systems delivered worldwide, and it credits the company with units delivered rather than sea-days, since its autonomy runs on other companies' hulls. The SM300-SP claim of more than 100 units a month is a stated production rate. As a B2B autonomy licensing business, no consumer price is published.
Common questions
How do Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor) and SM300 / SM200 differ?
What is the difference between Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor) and SM300 / SM200?
Which has more verified deployments, Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor) or SM300 / SM200?
Recent coverage
- VIDEO: Saildrone USV Fires JAGM MissilesSaildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor) · Marine Technology News · 2026-08-20
- Meta Cloud Business; NASA Lunar Lander Contracts | Stock MoversSaildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor) · Bloomberg Technology · 2026-07-01
- Sea Machines STORMRUNNER USV supports counter-UAS capability testSM300 / SM200 · Ben Smith, Deploy Editor · 2026-06-30
- Sea Machines Announces Emerging Record Year of Bookings and Global Growth Fueled by USV AdoptionSM300 / SM200 · Ben Smith, Deploy Editor · 2026-04-22
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