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FIRST ON FOX: Flocks of wall-climbing robots will soon crawl aboard US Navy warships in a $71 million effort to cut maintenance delays and boost naval readiness as China continues to expand its naval power.
Under the five-year contract, Gecko will begin work on 18 ships in the US Pacific Fleet, with an initial award of up to $54 million. The contract vehicle is designed to allow other military services to access the technology.
The push comes at a critical time. Only about 60% of the US Navy’s fleet is operational at any given time as maintenance backlogs sideline much of the fleet, according to industry estimates.
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Meanwhile, China now has about 370 to 390 warships and submarines compared to about 300 in the US Navy — and its state-backed shipbuilding industry can produce ships at an astonishing pace. Some independent analyzes estimate that China’s shipbuilding capacity exceeds that of America by more than 200 times when measured in tonnage.
Against that backdrop, the Navy is turning to artificial intelligence and robotics not for weapons — but for repairs.
The AI-powered machines, developed by Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics, scale skids, flight decks and other hard-to-reach metal surfaces, scanning for corrosion, metal fatigue and welding defects.
Instead of relying on sailors or dock workers stationed on ropes or scaffolding to inspect ships point by point, robots collect millions of data points and provide them with a digital platform designed to flag structural problems early.
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“It’s no use having 300 ships if 40% of them are on dry land,” Gecko Robotics CEO Jake Loosararian told Fox News Digital.
Flocks of wall-climbing robots will soon crawl aboard US Navy warships in a $71 million effort to cut maintenance delays and boost naval readiness as China continues to expand its naval power. (Gecko Robotics)
The inspection will focus on destroyers, amphibious assault ships and littoral combat ships – ships that make up the core of US military operations in the Indo-Pacific.
The Navy chief has set a goal of reaching 80% fleet readiness by 2027, an indication Navy leaders say is important as competition with China intensifies.
Gecko says its robotic systems can detect structural problems much faster than traditional manual inspections, helping planners reduce repair delays and get ships back to sea more quickly.
Maintenance delays have long plagued fleets.
Ships often sit in dry dock for months as unexpected structural problems are discovered after work has begun — reducing the number of ships available for deployment while Navy leaders push to raise readiness to 80% in future years.
Complicating matters further is the lack of qualified workers at the shipyard. American shipbuilders have struggled to find and retain enough skilled welders, electricians and technicians to keep up with demand, which has contributed to both construction delays and maintenance backlogs. Industry reports show many new hires leave within their first year, slowing workforce growth as shipbuilding demands increase.
Under the five-year contract, Gecko will begin work on 18 ships in the US Pacific Fleet, with an initial award of up to $54 million. The contract vehicle is designed to allow other military services to access the technology. (Gecko Robotics)
Automation and AI are increasingly seen as part of the solution. By reducing the amount of dangerous, labor-intensive inspection work and speeding up defect detection during both maintenance and construction, robotic systems can help yards do more with bonded workers.
Loosararian said the technology is designed to identify structural problems before ships enter major maintenance cycles, helping planners prioritize repairs and reduce delays.
“We first used fire extinguishers, we saved about three months of time to make an action plan and then we implemented it,” he said. “It reduces the dangerous and dangerous working hours that people have to have, and it increases speed.”
The inspection will focus on destroyers, amphibious assault ships and littoral combat ships – ships that make up the core of US military operations in the Indo-Pacific. (Gecko Robotics)
The company says the same technology is used during shipbuilding, scanning welds and structural elements early in the construction process to prevent costly rework later – an effort aimed at easing the strain on an already stressed shipbuilding business.
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Although the United States cannot easily match China China ship-for-ship in the speed of raw material production, improving the availability of ships that are already in operation may be another way to reduce the performance gap.
In an era of intense maritime competition, the battle may depend not only on how many ships are built – but how many are ready to sail.
