Magnet Defense Acquires Metal Shark to Power U.S. ‘Golden Fleet’ Program

Magnet Defense has completed its acquisition of Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark, a move the company says will give it the production muscle needed to deliver unmanned surface vessels at scale for the U.S. Navy’s emerging Golden Fleet initiative.

The Miami-based autonomous systems developer announced the deal Tuesday, positioning itself to move beyond prototypes and into full-rate manufacturing of AI-enabled naval platforms — something few U.S. defense startups have been able to achieve.

The timing reflects a hard truth for the maritime sector: demand for maritime security capabilities is rising fast, while America’s shipbuilding capacity continues to lag behind global competitors.

Metal Shark brings immediate industrial depth to the table. The company operates two production facilities in Louisiana spanning more than 125,000 square feet across 40 acres, supported by an experienced workforce and an established in-house engineering team.

“This acquisition is a critical step in our strategy to combine advanced robotics and AI-enabled, software-defined systems with domestic, industrial-scale shipbuilding,” Magnet Defense said in its announcement.

For Metal Shark, the deal builds on more than two decades of production experience. The shipbuilder has delivered over 2,000 vessels worldwide, including more than 500 to the U.S. Navy, 600 to the U.S. Coast Guard, and hundreds more to allied militaries. Its portfolio ranges from custom aluminum and steel patrol craft to specialized platforms for defense, law enforcement, and commercial operators.

Together, the companies are pitching themselves as a leading U.S. supplier of AI-enabled unmanned surface vessels, with Metal Shark’s yards serving as the manufacturing backbone for Golden Fleet programs. Magnet Defense contributes the software, autonomy stack, and mission architecture — from fleet operations to missile-defense support — while Metal Shark provides the ability to actually build the hardware, in volume.

The acquisition reflects a broader bet that the future of naval power will be shaped by autonomous platforms, modular vessel design, and production models that look more like advanced manufacturing than traditional shipbuilding.

With tensions rising in contested waters and rivals rapidly expanding their unmanned fleets, the pressure to field autonomous systems at scale is mounting. By folding Metal Shark into its operations, Magnet Defense believes it now has the industrial backbone to meet that challenge head-on.

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