The United States Navy has forged a significant five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with Pennsylvania-based Gecko Robotics. The partnership aims to deploy the company’s hull-scaling robots and artificial intelligence to rapidly identify potential repair needs for warships, including destroyers. This initiative, capped at $71 million, marks a crucial step towards modernizing maintenance operations and enhancing overall fleet readiness.
Ambitious Readiness Goals Amidst Current Shortfalls
The collaboration with Gecko Robotics aligns with the Navy’s broader initiative to achieve an 80% combat surge readiness rate by 2027. The current situation, however, falls short, with Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby reporting surface ship readiness at approximately 68% as of April 2025. Delays in maintenance and modernization availability are identified as key factors hindering this goal. Gecko’s technology promises to detect repairs up to 50 times faster than traditional methods, transforming what has historically been a slow, manual process. “It’s a first example of the Navy trying to build a living, breathing, digital record and an understanding of the health of the most critical assets they have in pursuit, of course, of getting to 80 percent readiness,” stated Jake Loosararian, CEO of Gecko Robotics. “This is one of the most important ways that they’re trying to approach getting to that goal.”
AI-Powered Robots: The Future of Ship Diagnostics
Gecko’s robotic systems gather a host of detailed information about the condition of ships’ hulls, decks, and welds without destroying any existing materials. These systems collect significantly more data points, much faster, than the traditional model employing shipyard workers for inspections. Shipyard personnel can then utilize Gecko’s software to establish models and precisely pinpoint areas that may require repairs, all based on the comprehensive data collected. “It saves incredible amounts of time, incredible amounts of money. That’s one of the largest ways that the Navy is able to begin to take an analog process and make it digital and predictable,” Loosararian added. “But you need robots to be able to digitize the physical world, and then the software helps to take actions back into the real world.”
Expanding Reach: From Pacific Fleet to a Digital Maintenance Era
Gecko will commence its work by inspecting 18 ships in the US Pacific Fleet over the next nine months, including destroyers, amphibious warships, and littoral combat ships. While the Navy has previously utilized Gecko’s robots and systems for surface ships, including aircraft carriers, destroyers, and amphibious vessels, this contract represents the largest agreement awarded to the company to date. This initiative solidifies the Navy’s direction to integrate advanced technology, ensuring a fleet that is not only more powerful but also more agile in facing future challenges.
