From REPMUS to procurement: the four capabilities NATO navies want from USVs

Syos Aerospace is directing its first institutional investment toward research, production capacity and international expansion following maritime experimentation at REPMUS 2026 in Portugal. Its SM400 uncrewed surface vessel participated in the September exercise, which brought together more than 300 unmanned systems, as navies sought integrated fleets able to operate despite communications interference. Syos' AAIMS software provides a common autonomy layer across aerial, ground, surface and underwater vehicles, allowing individual platforms to form a wider network. The convertible-note funding round involved Outset Ventures, NZVC, Altered Capital and strategic investors, supporting industrial expansion rather than constituting a new NATO fleet procurement award.