Ocean Aero
Builds the Triton, a wind- and solar-powered autonomous underwater and surface vehicle (AUSV), for defense, research, and energy customers.
Ocean Aero was founded in San Diego, CA in 2012, relocating its headquarters and manufacturing to Gulfport, Mississippi in January 2022 (now roughly 100 employees there). Its flagship product, the Triton, is described as the world's first and only Autonomous Underwater and Surface Vehicle (AUSV) — a roughly 14-foot, sail- and solar-powered craft that can sail on the surface, fold its hard sail, and dive to avoid weather, collisions, or detection, then relay collected data from anywhere at any time. Customers span defense, research, and energy sectors; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security placed a multimillion-dollar order for multiple Triton units, and reporting describes the U.S. military ramping up production of the autonomous sailboat-turned-submarine, which can also carry weapons/payloads. Board and investor backing includes Lockheed Martin Ventures and Teledyne Marine, alongside retired senior Navy/SEAL leadership on its board and advisory board. Notably, Seasats co-founders Mike Flanigan and Dylan Rodriguez both worked at Ocean Aero in San Diego before leaving — via the intermediate contract-engineering venture Kroova — to found their own autonomous-surface-vessel company.
Overview
- Headquarters
- Gulfport, MS, USA
- Founded
- 2012
- Employees
- Total funding
- $60.2M
- Stage
- Status
- active
- Domains
- Maritime autonomy, Uncrewed surface/underwater vehicles
- Website
- www.oceanaero.com/
Founders3
- FounderKen ChildressCo-founder of Ocean Aero, alongside Vance McClure and Mark Ott, drawing on their prior work together on a U.S. Navy unmanned hard-wing sailboat program.
- FounderMark OttCo-founder of Ocean Aero, alongside Ken Childress and Vance McClure; served as CTO until 2016, drawing on their prior work together on a U.S. Navy unmanned hard-wing sailboat program.
- FounderVance McClureCo-founder of Ocean Aero, alongside Ken Childress and Mark Ott; served as Chief Scientist, drawing on 18 years as a senior scientist at Scaled Composites working on SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo thermal protection.
Investors3
- FundTeledyne MarineMarine-instrumentation division of Teledyne Technologies; Ocean Aero's earliest and largest institutional investor, funding its initial prototypes and increasing its stake to roughly 37% by 2015.
- FundEnergy Innovation CapitalVenture capital firm; joined Ocean Aero's 2018 Series B alongside Lockheed Martin Ventures and Teledyne Marine, and participated in later rounds.
- FundLockheed Martin VenturesStrategic investment arm of Lockheed Martin, investing in deep-tech pioneers.
Cap table0
Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.
Raised per round
Valuation over time
Percentages marked ~ are not disclosed. Some are a generic VC-pattern model (founders/team weighted heaviest, option pool lightest, other holders evenly) sized to whatever's left undisclosed — a standard industry shape, not this company's actual cap table.
| Holder | Instrument | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
Community Development Venture Capital Alliance (CDVCA)Reinvested | Preferred (Series D) | ~38.6% |
Advantage CapitalReinvested | Preferred (Series D) | ~38.6% |
James Fisher and SonsNew | Preferred (Series D) | ~22.7% |
Contracts5
- ContractDHS S&T Research, Evaluation, and Testing Program — Triton AUSV FleetOcean Aero delivered six Triton AUSV units to the DHS Science and Technology Directorate for a research/evaluation/testing program, under prime contractor Cherokee Nation Strategic Programs; other participants included the U.S. Coast Guard, CBP, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the Naval Research Laboratory.
- ContractPhilippine Navy Foreign Military Transfer — 4 Triton AUSVsFour Ocean Aero Triton AUSVs transferred to the Philippine Navy's Unmanned Surface Vessel Unit One, valued at approximately $13 million, via a US-funded security-assistance initiative.
- ContractLR-UUSV — Long Range Unmanned Underwater/Surface VehicleDoD contract with the Defense Contract Management Agency for a Long Range Unmanned Underwater/Surface Vehicle (LR-UUSV), an early Ocean Aero defense program.
- ContractTriton V15 UpgradeU.S. Navy (NSWC Crane) contract for a Triton V15 upgrade.
- ContractCONUS Support Task OrderSmall U.S. Navy (Naval Surface Warfare Center) task order for domestic (CONUS) support.
Programs0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What does Ocean Aero do?
- Ocean Aero was founded in San Diego, CA in 2012, relocating its headquarters and manufacturing to Gulfport, Mississippi in January 2022 (now roughly 100 employees there). Its flagship product, the Triton, is described as the world's first and only Autonomous Underwater and Surface Vehicle (AUSV) — a roughly 14-foot, sail- and solar-powered craft that can sail on the surface, fold its hard sail, and dive to avoid weather, collisions, or detection, then relay collected data from anywhere at any time. Customers span defense, research, and energy sectors; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security placed a multimillion-dollar order for multiple Triton units, and reporting describes the U.S. military ramping up production of the autonomous sailboat-turned-submarine, which can also carry weapons/payloads. Board and investor backing includes Lockheed Martin Ventures and Teledyne Marine, alongside retired senior Navy/SEAL leadership on its board and advisory board. Notably, Seasats co-founders Mike Flanigan and Dylan Rodriguez both worked at Ocean Aero in San Diego before leaving — via the intermediate contract-engineering venture Kroova — to found their own autonomous-surface-vessel company.
- Where is Ocean Aero headquartered?
- Ocean Aero is headquartered in Gulfport, MS, USA and was founded in 2012.
- How much funding has Ocean Aero raised?
- Ocean Aero has raised $60.2M in disclosed funding.
- What does Ocean Aero specialize in?
- Ocean Aero works across Maritime autonomy, Uncrewed surface/underwater vehicles.
- Does Ocean Aero hold government contracts?
- Defense Tech Atlas links Ocean Aero to 5 government contracts.
Sources & citations9
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Ocean Aero's Triton is described as the world's first and only Autonomous Underwater and Surface Vehicle (AUSV), sail- and solar-powered, that can sail on the surface and dive to avoid weather, collisions, or detection.
Ocean Aero: The Triton - Ocean AeroVerified2026-08-10 - 2
Ocean Aero, headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi with nearly 100 employees, describes itself as 100% made in the USA with solely American investors; team includes CEO Kevin Decker and board/advisory members including Lockheed Martin Ventures representation and retired Navy/SEAL leadership.
Ocean Aero: Our Team - Ocean AeroVerified2026-08-10 - 3
Ocean Aero, based in San Diego since 2012, secured a multimillion-dollar order from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for multiple autonomous surface/underwater vehicles; investors included Lockheed Martin Corp. and Teledyne Marine.
San Diego Business Journal: Ocean Aero's Unique Vehicles Have Government BuyingVerified2026-08-10 - 4
Ocean Aero relocated its headquarters and manufacturing from San Diego, California to Gulfport, Mississippi in January 2022.
Tracxn: Ocean Aero - Company Profile2026-08-10 - 5
Seasats co-founder Mike Flanigan 'eventually ended up in San Diego working at Ocean Aero,' where his childhood friend Dylan Rodriguez was already working; Flanigan designed structural components and mechanical assemblies and helped scale production there, working both full-time and later as a contractor, before he and Rodriguez left (via the Kroova contract-engineering venture) to found Seasats.
University of Notre Dame IDEA Center: ND Founders Profile #127: From Garage to Open SeasVerified2026-08-10 - 6
Ocean Aero raised a $11.2M Series C, September 2021.
Crunchbase: Ocean Aero funding roundsReported2026-08-15 - 7
Ocean Aero received a multi-million-dollar investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures and Energy Innovation Capital, September 2018 Series B, with continued participation from Teledyne Marine.
Hydro International: Ocean Aero Receives Multi-Million Investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures and Energy Innovation CapitalVerified2018-09-12 - 8
Ocean Aero raised a $11.2M Series C (Sept 2021, led by Advantage Capital and CDVCA, with Energy Innovation Capital and WTRMLN Labs, LLC participating) and a $25M Series D (Dec 2024, valuing the company at $110M post-money, with James Fisher and Sons joining as a new strategic investor); cumulative total funding is approximately $60.2M.
PitchBook: Ocean Aero funding historyVerified2026-08-15 - 9
Ocean Aero closes $25M Series D, led by Advantage Capital and CDVCA, valuing the company at $110M post-money, with James Fisher and Sons joining as a new strategic investor.
Maritime Executive: Ocean Aero Closes $25M Series DVerified2024-12