Red Cat Holdings (Nasdaq: RCAT) announced that its Blue Ops maritime division has formed a partnership with Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to expand maritime defense operations at FAU's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, Florida.

The agreement gives Blue Ops access to FAU Harbor Branch's 144-acre deep-water facility, which includes direct ocean access, waterfront infrastructure, specialized equipment, and marine engineering and research expertise. Blue Ops said the facility will be used to develop, integrate, test, and demonstrate uncrewed maritime systems under real-world conditions.

The Harbor Branch location adds to Blue Ops' existing footprint, which includes its headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, and a 155,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Valdosta, Georgia.

Blue Ops develops uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) built around Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) principles, which allow payloads, sensors, communications, and autonomy systems to be configured based on operational requirements. Intended missions include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, harbor and coastal security, force protection, and contested logistics.

"Harbor Branch gives our team an environment where we can put systems on the water, integrate new capabilities and test them under the real-world conditions they were built for," said Barry Hinckley, president of Blue Ops.

Jason Hallstrom, Ph.D., interim executive director of FAU Harbor Branch, said the partnership would allow FAU researchers, engineers, and students to contribute to autonomous maritime technologies with national defense applications.