Vatn Systems and Taiwan's NCSIST Sign Agreement to Explore Undersea Autonomy for Maritime Defense

Collaboration will explore autonomous underwater vehicles, AI-enabled command-and-control, systems integration and local sustainment capabilities to support Taiwan's naval modernization efforts.

BRISTOL, R.I., Aug. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Vatn Systems, a leading defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles and Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), today announced an agreement to explore joint naval defense projects on behalf of Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense. The agreement positions Vatn's technology to help modernize Taiwan's naval defenses and build sustainment capacity closer to home.

"Taiwan is one of many allies rethinking what undersea defense looks like, and we're glad NCSIST sees Vatn as an integral part of that conversation," said Nelson Mills, co-founder and CEO of Vatn Systems. "Building affordable undersea autonomy for U.S. and allied partners and deploying that capability at scale is core to our strategy, and this agreement gives us a chance to explore how that technology can support Taiwan's naval modernization efforts."

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishes a framework for Vatn and NCSIST to jointly:

• Develop AI-enabled command-and-control systems
• Field autonomous underwater vehicles including Vatn's S12 AUV
• Build supply-chain and sustainment support based in Taiwan.

The agreement reflects growing interest from allied defense ministries in Vatn's modular, low-cost approach to undersea autonomy, which allows its AUVs to be tailored to mission-specific ranges, accuracy, and sensor requirements without the cost structure of legacy systems.

This agreement comes on the heels of Vatn's recent launch of SIGURD, an autonomous mine countermeasure system built on its Skelmir S6 platform.

About Vatn Systems
Vatn Systems is a leading defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles that can be deployed at scale for the U.S. military, allied nations, and commercial customers. Founded in 2023 by a team of maritime experts and military leaders, Vatn Systems is on a mission to be the next underwater defense prime in a world where autonomous systems dominate naval battlefields. For more information, visit www.vatn.com and follow the company on LinkedIn.

About NCSIST
Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) is a Taiwanese administrative organization responsible for the development, manufacturing, support, and sustainment of weapons systems and dual-use technology on behalf of Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.

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SOURCE Vatn Systems