Ocean Aero, Inc.

Ocean Aero, Inc. is a Gulfport, Mississippi-based for-profit organization that specializes in autonomous maritime technology and unmanned vehicle systems. The company is a self-certified small disadvantaged business registered in SAM.gov with a registration expiration date of September 24, 2026. Ocean Aero has pioneered hybrid, dual-modality autonomous surface and underwater vehicles, specifically its TRITON series, which operates as both an unmanned surface vessel and unmanned undersea vehicle. The company provides maritime technology solutions to the Department of Defense and other federal agencies, with particular expertise in maritime domain awareness, autonomous systems capabilities, and distributed maritime operations.

Ocean Aero's federal contract work demonstrates its core competency in delivering advanced autonomous maritime platforms and related support services. The company holds prime contracts from the Naval Sea Systems Command and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, totaling approximately $1.15 million in awarded contract value across three prime contract vehicles. These include an $800,000 firm-fixed price purchase order from the Office of the Secretary of Defense for a TRITON V15 UPGRADE (awarded June 12, 2024, with completion by September 9, 2024), a $71,150.99 delivery order from Naval Sea Systems Command for COCO CONUS Support (awarded May 1, 2025, with completion by September 9, 2025), and a $280,036.10 Other Transaction Agreement with the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Maritime Domain Awareness services (awarded August 22, 2022, with completion by April 24, 2023). Additionally, Ocean Aero has performed as a subcontractor on multiple federal contracts with prime contractors including Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., HII Mission Technologies Corp., Science Applications International Corporation, Mantech Advanced Systems International, Inc., Serco Inc., and Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc. These subcontract awards address areas such as TRITON autonomous vehicle upgrades and support, TRITON AUSV systems, training courses, and services related to the company's hybrid autonomous underwater and surface vehicle capabilities. None of Ocean Aero's contract awards utilize set-aside designations.

Ocean Aero's federal grant activity reflects its engagement in research and development initiatives focused on autonomous maritime systems evaluation and technology integration. The company has received grant funding as a sub-awardee through The University of Southern Mississippi, which serves as the prime grantee under a Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate grant supporting the Maritime Unmanned Systems Technology (MUST) program. Under this sub-grant award (announced December 11, 2023), Ocean Aero performed substantial research and development work to support DHS S&T testing of its TRITON hybrid autonomous surface and underwater vehicle for Coast Guard maritime domain awareness missions. The scope of work included platform and sensor support research, implementation of new CPU systems for mission software operation, implementation of relay modules, shipping support to the Coast Guard, and on-water and pier-side acceptance testing and performance testing conducted in Federal Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024. Operations were conducted from the University of Southern Mississippi's Marine Research Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, with testing locations potentially extending to Mississippi Sound, offshore areas, and testing sites in Washington and Connecticut. Deliverables included internal acceptance testing reports, boat logs and documentation, and monthly status reports on technical and financial execution.

Ocean Aero holds a single-award Indefinite Delivery Contract with the Naval Sea Systems Command valued at $17,077,135.23 with a performance period extending through April 30, 2029. This contract was awarded May 1, 2025 and does not utilize any set-aside designations. The primary objective of this IDC is the procurement of TRITON production units—hybrid autonomous surface and underwater vehicles designed to support Naval Sea Systems Command's requirements for maritime domain awareness, maritime security, and autonomous system capabilities. This contract represents a substantial expansion of Ocean Aero's relationship with NAVSEA and positions the company as a critical supplier for the Navy's autonomous maritime platform needs. The IDC structure allows for multiple task orders to be issued throughout the performance period, enabling the Navy to acquire TRITON units and related capabilities on an as-needed basis while leveraging Ocean Aero's specialized expertise in autonomous maritime systems development and production.