Overview
- The Navy raised the ceiling on its Gecko Robotics contract to as much as $300 million, a change announced Tuesday, Oct. 20, that lets the service order more AI‑driven inspections without opening a new deal.
- The expanded work adds Gecko’s Komodo deck‑scanning system and broadens coverage beyond the original 18 Pacific Fleet ships to much of the Atlantic Fleet, the company said.
- Gecko uses drones, wall‑climbing robots and fixed sensors to collect millions of data points that AI turns into digital models so engineers can find corrosion and metal loss faster and plan repairs before ships enter dry dock.
- Company figures, cited in coverage, say the tools can cut inspection time by large margins and save as much as $8 million in repair costs per ship by narrowing the scope of work; independent verification of specific savings was not provided.
- The move responds to chronic maintenance delays, GAO‑documented readiness shortfalls and limited shipyard labor and capacity, and could shorten repair cycles, let crews get ships back to sea sooner and ease pressure on a strained industrial base.