The U.S. Marine Corps is undertaking one of the greatest transformations in years—to be most effectively used as an instrument for effective, spur-of-the-moment naval warfare in the littoral region. The transformation isn’t where Marines will be engaged, but why and how. At the very core of the project is the Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft (MMRC), a radical boat designed by Australia’s Whiskey Project Group.
To call it “just another boat.” It’s deafness to what sets it apart. The Whiskey Sea Blade features a carbon-fiber composite hull, and it will slice through rough seas and reduce impact on sailors by nearly 40 percent. For Marines who ride for hours at high speed across seas out of sight, that kind of design is something they can’t do without—It’s necessary.
Where many other Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) are disadvantaged, the MMRC provides them with wide doors and equipment and sensor changeout capability in minutes. It even has an onboard generator, so it is a self-sustaining floating asset, and can be mission-configured for any type with minimal downtime between.
The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory led the development test campaign on the craft, with proof-of-concept testing initially conducted by the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Company. Two were deployed earlier this year, and more will be deployed as continuous testing proceeds through to 2025. Injecting that pace, program manager Major Patrick O’Mara stated that they not only seek to acclimatize to the platform but also push it to its limits in existing maritime environments.
The onboard MMRC capability cannot be underestimated either. It consists of a Teledyne SeaFLIR 240 infrared camera, a Furunoo navigation radar, and a Hoverfly Spectre 2.0 tethered unmanned aerial vehicle, allowing mariners to detect, classify, and share information between domains in real time. Least of all, most of these systems simply replicate what the Marines already have on shore and are creating gaps between at-sea and ashore operations.
But the ship does something else, too. It is demonstrating value in manned-unmanned teaming. The MMRC can send ahead of it smaller ships or unmanned surface vessels to get there first, to scout out enemy territory without putting sailors directly in harm’s way.
That commitment to safety excellence is from the heart for Whiskey Project founder Darren Schuback, a retired Royal Australian Navy diver. Having seen firsthand the physical toll of rugged naval operations on members, he made reducing shock and operator protection the keynote theme of the ships’ design philosophy.
Interoperability was an essential concern from the outset. US Marine veterans were consulted in the design phase, and the vessel was designed to be deployable into C5ISR networks and, ultimately, weaponized. That capability makes it a gem of unparalleled value not just for the Marine Corps, but for allied militaries.
Its creation is also a component of larger defence collaboration, where nations unite to expand the frontiers of innovation in future sensors, unmanned drones, and electronic warfare. The U.S. Army Futures Command and the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group have already seen new ideas being crafted prior before introdintroduced intoield.
The MMRC has also been enabled by enormous combined exercises, such as Project Convergence Capstone 4, where it was able to test the sensor net and feed directly into Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) concepts. In contested littorals, having that kind of connectivity is the difference between reacting and getting ahead.
As the competition in the sea continues to advance, the MMRC is not merely a machine—it’s evidence of what occurs when user design, close teamwork, and ongoing iteration to build capability in the world converge. To Marines and allies, it’s simply another step along the way to speedier, more agile, and better prepared to meet tomorrow.