The Army awarded Havoc a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract on October 12 to expand software that lets one operator command teams of drones across air, sea, and land for military resupply. The service also picked Havoc's MAVRIK subsidiary for a direct-to-Phase II award to develop the HATCHET heavy-lift drone.
Havoc is widening its reach. In September it agreed with Taiwan's CSBC to put its autonomy software on Taiwanese unmanned surface vessels, and it has similar integration deals with Leidos and Blue Ops. The Army is backing rivals too, including GM Defense's unmanned Silverado truck and five vendors prototyping medium resupply vehicles.
Why it matters
If autonomous resupply works, the military can sustain forces in contested environments without risking supply convoys, changing how future wars are fought.
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Key Indicators
$2.0M
SBIR Phase II contract value
Army awarded Havoc $1,999,992 in January 2026 for Overwatch Control software.
25,000+
Hours of autonomous operations
Havoc's accumulated testing and operations across air, sea, and land domains.
100+
Autonomous vessels built
Havoc has built and deployed more than 100 autonomous vessels.
$85M
Funding round
Havoc closed an $85 million funding round, per Hanwha's announcement.
13 events
Latest: October 12th, 2026 · 1 month ago
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October 2026
Army Applications Laboratory awards Havoc SBIR Phase III contract
LatestContract
Contract funds expansion of multi-domain collaborative autonomy software for military resupply. Value not disclosed.
GM Defense unveils unmanned Silverado truck for Army resupply
Competition
GM Defense showed an unmanned Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD at the AUSA trade show in Washington. The truck carries up to 8,000 pounds and targets Project Sustainment, the Army's medium autonomous resupply effort. A demonstrator is expected by June 2027.
Army selects Havoc's MAVRIK subsidiary for heavy-lift drone SBIR
Contract
The Army picked MAVRIK and its HATCHET autonomous heavy-lift vertical-takeoff-and-landing platform for a Direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation Research award through the xTechOverwatch program, aimed at tactical resupply and contested logistics.
September 2026
Havoc and Taiwan's CSBC agree to build autonomous surface vessels
Partnership
CSBC, Taiwan's largest shipbuilder, will build unmanned surface vessels and Havoc will supply collaborative autonomy software under a licensed co-production deal.
August 2026
Blue Ops and Havoc partner on autonomous USV systems
Partnership
Blue Ops plans to integrate Havoc's collaborative autonomy software across its uncrewed surface vessel portfolio for coordinated multi-vessel operations.
Havoc and Rune complete autonomous resupply at Pegasus Charge III
Demonstration
End-to-end autonomous resupply mission completed at Fort Hood, Texas, integrating Rune's TyrOS with Havoc's aircraft.
July 2026
Army picks five vendors for autonomous resupply prototypes
Contract
The Army selected AM General, American Rheinmetall, Carnegie Robotics, HDT Robotics, and Stratom for 18-month prototyping agreements under Project Sustainment. The vehicles are to join an operational unit for a field assessment in the second quarter of fiscal 2027.
April 2026
Leidos and Havoc partner on maritime and air autonomy
Partnership
The companies will integrate Havoc's autonomy software with Leidos' Autonomous Vessel Architecture, starting with the Sea Archer unmanned surface vessel, and plan a joint operational validation in the fourth quarter of 2026.
March 2026
Army awards production contract for aerial resupply drone to SURVICE
Contract
The Army awarded SURVICE Engineering a production contract for the Joint Autonomous Aerial Resupply System, an unmanned cargo aircraft for dispersed forces. The program runs alongside Havoc's work.
January 2026
Army awards Havoc $2M SBIR Phase II contract
Contract
Army awards Havoc $1,999,992 for Overwatch Control, platform-agnostic collaborative autonomy software.
2026
Havoc validates autonomy with allied forces at Balikatan
Demonstration
Havoc's collaborative autonomy validated alongside allied forces in the Indo-Pacific exercise.
Havoc demonstrates autonomous systems at RIMPAC 2026
Demonstration
Havoc's autonomous surface vessels resupply U.S. and allied vessels in a multinational autonomous logistics operation.
Army redesignates command to oversee autonomy programs
Government Action
The Army is redesignating Futures and Concepts Command as the Futures and Autonomous Systems Command to coordinate autonomy development, testing, and acquisition. The command's commander is also expected to serve as the Army's lead for uncrewed systems.
Scenarios
1
Havoc wins production contract for autonomous logistics
Possible
Resolves by End of 2027
Discussed by: Defense trade press and federal procurement analysts
The Phase III contract funds continued development and field demonstrations. If the Army's requirements solidify and demonstrations succeed, Havoc could win a larger production contract for autonomous resupply systems. The Army's focus on contested logistics in the Indo-Pacific creates demand for this capability, and Havoc's field-tested software gives it a strong position.
SBIR Phase III contracts often fund continued development without leading to large production awards. The Army may continue to evaluate Havoc's technology through exercises like Pegasus Charge while budget constraints limit procurement. The Phase III contract value was not disclosed, suggesting it may be modest relative to production programs.
3
Rivals win competing Army autonomy contracts
Likely
Resolves by End of 2027
Discussed by: Defense trade press
The Army is likely to diversify its autonomy suppliers. Companies like Anduril, Shield AI, and others compete for similar contracts. If a rival wins a comparable autonomous logistics contract, it would signal that Havoc's position is not exclusive and that the Army is building a competitive supplier base.
4
FASCOM centralizes Army autonomy procurement
Likely
Resolves by End of 2027
Discussed by: Govly procurement trackers
The Army is folding autonomy development, testing, and acquisition into the new Futures and Autonomous Systems Command. A single buyer could speed decisions on programs like Project Sustainment and the Joint Autonomous Aerial Resupply System, and it may favor vendors with field-tested technology like Havoc.
5
Leidos-Havoc joint validation shows one operator commanding a mixed fleet
Possible
Resolves by End of 2026
Discussed by: Defense trade press and the two companies
Leidos and Havoc plan a fourth-quarter 2026 demonstration in which unmanned surface and aerial vehicles operate under a single autonomy system. Success would show one operator can coordinate a mixed fleet at scale in realistic conditions.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 2
December 2011 - 2013
K-MAX unmanned helicopter in Afghanistan (2011-2013)
The Marine Corps deployed the K-MAX unmanned helicopter for cargo resupply in Afghanistan. It flew over 600 missions and delivered more than 4,500 pounds of cargo per day at its peak, proving unmanned cargo delivery could work in combat.
Then
K-MAX completed its first combat resupply mission in December 2011 and flew thousands of hours in Afghanistan.
Now
The program was retired after the Afghanistan drawdown. The technology did not immediately transition to broader military use, showing the gap between demonstration and sustained adoption.
Why this matters now
K-MAX proved autonomous logistics could work in combat, but the capability faded after the conflict. Havoc's work aims to make autonomous resupply a permanent part of Army operations.
2 of 2
2003-2009
Army Future Combat Systems (2003-2009)
The Army's $200 billion Future Combat Systems program included ambitious unmanned ground vehicle plans. It was cancelled in 2009 after cost overruns and technology challenges.
Then
The cancellation set back Army unmanned vehicle programs and shifted focus to more incremental approaches.
Now
The program's failure shaped how the Army approaches autonomy: smaller, faster, and more focused on proven technology.
Why this matters now
Havoc's approach, software-first and platform-agnostic with field-tested demonstrations, reflects the lessons of FCS. The Army is buying proven capability incrementally rather than betting on a massive program.
