A 38-foot drone boat that once spent 192 hours alone at sea came up behind a float towed by a Navy ship off Virginia, pushed a fuel probe into it, took on 400 gallons over dozens of hookups and let go each time, and somebody was steering the probe on ever

A 38-foot drone boat that once spent 192 hours alone at sea came up behind a float towed by a Navy ship off Virginia, pushed a fuel probe into it, took on 400 gallons over dozens of hookups and let go each time, and somebody was steering the probe on ever — Live Feedhttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/a-38-foot-drone-boat-that-once-spent-192-hours-alone-at-sea-came-up-behind-a-float-towed-by-a-navy-ship-off-virginia-pusContinuously updated, source-cited coverage. US Navy Tests Robotic Refueling for Unmanned Surface Vesselshttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/a-38-foot-drone-boat-that-once-spent-192-hours-alone-at-sea-came-up-behind-a-float-towed-by-a-navy-ship-off-virginia-pushttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/a-38-foot-drone-boat-that-once-spent-192-hours-alone-at-sea-came-up-behind-a-float-towed-by-a-navy-ship-off-virginia-pus#u60877Tue, 08 Sep 2026 02:41:16 +0000The US Navy successfully demonstrated an unmanned refueling at sea process off the coast of Virginia using a robotic towed connector. A 38-foot drone boat, which previously completed a 192-hour solo voyage, connected to a float towed by a Navy ship. Over dozens of hookups, the drone boat took on 400 gallons of fuel. The operation involved a remote operator steering the probe during the process. This demonstration confirms the technical feasibility of replenishing autonomous vessels without direct human intervention on the receiving craft.Why it mattersMaintaining an autonomous fleet requires s