US Navy Quadruples Gecko Robotics Contract to $300M to Find Warship Damage Before Drydock

The U.S. Navy and General Services Administration raised the ceiling of Gecko Robotics' ship-inspection contract from $71 million to $300 million six months after the original award. The expanded indefinite-delivery agreement allows wider use of robotic inspections beyond an initial programme involving 18 Pacific Fleet vessels. Gecko's Komodo crawler measures material thickness beneath non-skid deck coatings and produces corrosion maps, helping engineers identify repair needs before ships enter dry dock. The company claims its approach can substantially shorten surveys and avoid costly unplanned repairs, but the $300 million figure represents maximum contracting capacity rather than confirmed expenditures.