Gecko Robotics brings its AI to U.S. Navy ship repair in latest next-gen defense tech deal

The 2026 CNBC Disruptor 50 list will be revealed Tuesday, May 19thGecko Robotics, a Pittsburgh-based robotics startup, on Tuesday announced a $71 million deal with the U.S. Navy to cut down ship repair time as the government races to reindustrialize America's aging defense systems.The company said its robots — capable of flying, swimming, and climbing critical infrastructure — use cameras and sensors to condense a three-month process down to as little as two days. Gecko also said the robots can assess necessary maintenance 50 times faster than other manual techniques. "This is the kind of stuff that was never possible before, and it's the reason why it's taken 18 months to get a destroyer out of the dry dock," CEO Jake Loosararian told CNBC in an interview. "This is not acceptable anymore."Loosararian said Gecko will support the Navy's goal of 80% fleet readiness by 2027 and streamline ship production so that soldiers can focus on fighting and other threats. The U.S. is increasing its reliance on defense technology startups like Gecko as it seeks to modernize dated U.S. military systems amid rising geopolitical tensions. These companies are increasingly disrupting traditional mainstay defense contractors with innovative artificial intelligence and autonomous tech solutions. "Software is not enough, and your ability to use artificial intelligence to predict and make decision advantages is is only as good as the data inputs," Loosararian said. "This is a fundamental shift, and what Gecko does right now, it's never been done before by any robotics company in the military."Since taking office, President Donald Trump has prioritized scaling and restoring U.S. shipbuilding capabilities, which have long lagged behind China. Last month, the administration released a multi-page plan to resurrect the struggling sector.Over the years, Gecko has teamed up with mining, manufacturing, energy and defense businesses to improve aging equipment and slash repair times. That includes defense contractor L3Harris Technologies and mining giant Freeport-McMoRan.Gecko was last valued at $1.25 billion in a $125 million funding round in June. The two-time Disruptor 50 company was ranked No. 30 on last year's list.Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inboxGet this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.© 2026 Versant Media, LLC.

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