The new Modular Attack Surface Craft marks a shift in thinking about unmanned combatants: design the hull around payload and power first, then fit the mission packages. The MASC family was conceived as a payload-forward platform, boasting a payload carrying capacity that significantly outstrips many adapted commercial alternatives, expansive deck real estate for versatile mission kits, and nearly 200 kilowatts of onboard electrical power to sustain high-energy sensors or weapons. That foundational focus on access and power means a navy can mount heavy radar arrays, electronic warfare suites, or even energy weapons without contorting the platform around retrofitted systems. In practice, the design enables rapid role changes — surveillance one week, strike or electronic attack the next — by swapping modular payloads and reconfiguring software. This plug-and-play mindset reduces time in yard and increases operational tempo. The vessel’s architecture anticipates future increases in sensor power draw and payload complexity, making it a platform built for growth rather than a stopgap conversion. For naval planners, such craft represent force multipliers: unmanned units that can take on risky tasks, free up manned assets, and be re-rolled into new mission sets quickly. The MASC announcement therefore signals not merely a new hull, but a doctrinal nudge toward designing unmanned fleets around modularity, power, and flexibility as first principles.
