The U.S. Marine Corps is in the midst of one of the biggest changes it’s experienced in decades—away from a predominantly ground-focused mindset to a force that is quickly, nimbly, and equipped for sophisticated naval operations in challenging coastal waters. It’s not just about new locations on a map—it’s about a new way of operating, and technology that makes it happen. Today, one of the most intriguing of the technologies is the Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft (MMRC), a sleek, high-tech boat designed by Australia’s Whiskey Project Group.
Calling the MMRC “just another boat” would be completely to miss the point. Light enough to punch through turbulent seas, it has a carbon-fiber composite hull—dubbed the Whiskey Sea Blade—that can do just that, also minimizing shock to its crew by as much as 40 percent.
That’s a lot to ask from operators who work extended shifts at high speed in changing waters. Compared to earlier Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), MMRC offers flexibility in the form of modular mounting rails, a built-in generator, and the ability to swap out a broad array of sensors and mission gear in minutes.
The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory has been the leader in experimenting with the MMRC, with early experimentation being performed by units like the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Company. The first two ships arrived in February, followed soon thereafter by plans for more, so testing could expand during 2025. Program manager Major Patrick O’Mara has focused on making Marines experts at the platform while figuring out how far it can push into more advanced maritime settings.
Its centerpiece is impressive: a Teledyne SeaFLIR 240 infrared camera, a Furunoo navigation radar, and a Hoverfly Spectre 2.0 tethered drone that can be employed as an elevated antenna or sensor. As a combined effort, these resources give crews the ability to detect, classify, and track ships with precision, transmitting real-time information to other forces across several domains. The MMRC’s configuration also enables it to carry some of the same systems Marines deploy ashore, closing the sea-shore gap.
But the MMRC’s abilities don’t stop at sensors. It’s proving itself to be a highly capable proving ground for manned-unmanned teaming—steaming out small craft or unmanned surface vehicles that can range ahead or play in risk areas while leaving sailors out of harm’s way.
For Whiskey Project founder Darren Schuback, a retired Royal Australian Navy diver, that focus on operator safety is personal. He’s seen firsthand the long-term devastation caused by high-impact naval operations, and the shock-absorbing design of the MMRC is a reaction to those concerns.
Interoperability has been baked in from the very start. U.S. Marine veterans were engaged in its design early on to allow it to integrate C5ISR systems and even weapons if needed. This flexibility bolsters the Marine Corps’ push for distributed operations across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and makes the MMRC valuable to other allied forces as well.
Its development also aligns with overall cooperative defense efforts, where countries are coming together to pool resources and capacities to expedite innovation in uncrewed systems, sensors, and electronic warfare. Cooperative work among the U.S. Army Futures Command and Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group is helping to synchronize technology and tactics before they reach the battlefield.
The MMRC has already been used in large joint exercises, including Project Convergence Capstone 4, in which it demonstrated how it can offer reach for the sensor net and feed into Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) concepts. In more advanced littoral environments, that kind of connectivity can be the difference between responding and taking the initiative.
As threats evolve and naval competition intensifies, platforms such as the MMRC are not only a technological jump forward—they demonstrate how collaboration, user-oriented development, and ongoing field testing can deliver capability in the real world. For the Marines and their allies, it’s yet another piece of the solution to staying agile, impactful, and ready for whatever comes over the horizon.