Ocean Autonomy Cluster member Tocaro Blue has entered a strategic collaboration with US-based boat builder Metal Shark to enhance the capabilities of unmanned surface vessels (USVs for military and security operations.
Metal Shark, a key supplier to the US Armed Forces and allied nations, has selected Tocaro Blue’s AI-powered ProteusCore™ radar processing software for integration into its fleet of High Speed Maneuverable Unmanned Surface Vessels (HSMUSVs). The solution will be embedded directly into Metal Shark’s proprietary SharkTech autonomous technology stack, strengthening situational awareness, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and operational safety in complex maritime environments.
ProteusCore™ enables advanced radar data fusion, machine learning-based object detection and classification, and real-time target tracking using commercial off-the-shelf marine radars. By integrating the software into the SharkTech autonomy stack, operators gain a unified maritime operating picture that supports faster, data-driven decision-making for unmanned and human-in-the-loop operations.
“The interoperability of the HSMUSV platform and the SharkTech autonomy stack has been thoroughly demonstrated through multiple exercises on both sides of the Atlantic this year,” said Chris Allard, CEO of Metal Shark. “By incorporating Tocaro Blue’s ProteusCore™ technology, we are taking another step toward an intelligent vessel ecosystem that enhances threat awareness and operational effectiveness.”
The Metal Shark HSMUSV is a 21-foot unmanned military craft designed to provide a low-cost, multi-payload USV solution that can be rapidly produced and deployed to meet emerging operational needs. The platform supports integration with a wide range of COLREGS, ATR and AI software packages, making it well suited for modular and scalable autonomy solutions.
“Tocaro Blue designed ProteusCore™ to unlock mission-critical perception capabilities in commercial marine radars,” said John Minor, CEO of Tocaro Blue. “We are excited to collaborate with an industry leader like Metal Shark to deliver advanced sensing and perception capabilities to unmanned maritime defense assets.”
Tocaro Blue is a member of the Ocean Autonomy Cluster, contributing advanced sensor processing and perception technology to the cluster’s growing ecosystem of companies developing autonomous and uncrewed maritime solutions for both civilian and defence applications.
Metal Shark designs and builds welded aluminium vessels ranging from 16 to over 300 feet for military, law enforcement and commercial operators worldwide. With production facilities in the United States and Europe, the company delivers more than 200 vessels annually and employs over 400 people.
Tocaro Blue develops AI-powered marine sensor processing solutions. Its flagship product, ProteusCore™, uses machine learning and deep neural networks to filter noise, classify objects and track targets in real time at the edge, transforming commercial marine radars into high-performance perception sensors for autonomous and unmanned operations.