Barracuda-class vessel cutting through a North Atlantic storm

BARRACUDA CLASS / BUILT IN VIRGINIA

When We Go Out,
We Always Come Back.

Self-righting, airtight interceptor and patrol vessels proven unsinkable in the North Atlantic at sea state 8 and above. 36 to 75 feet, BR6 ballistic hull protection, engineered and built in the United States.

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Demo available

We can go anywhere, at any time.

Proudly built in Virginia, USA.

30'

Waves the hull is built to cut through, not ride over.

BR6

Ballistic hull rating, stops a 7.62mm projectile.

USA

Built in Virginia.

The lineup

SIX HULLS / 36'–75' LOA

Every photo below is a real, operational Barracuda-class vessel underway in open water — not a render.

$Thunderchild XSV20-75, view 3$

20M · 75 FT

Thunderchild XSV20

The flagship. A command-and-control platform for extended patrol, built to keep working when the mission runs longer than the weather window.

17M · 55 FT

Thunderchild XSV17

Built for high-speed pursuit and military interdiction, where closing distance fast matters as much as handling the sea state once you get there.

12.5M · 47 FT

Barracuda SV12.5

Extended-range patrol and search-and-rescue, sized for crews who need more range without stepping up to the 55-foot class.

13M · 42 FT

Barracuda SV13

The workhorse of the fleet: coastal patrol and boarding operations, proven in continuous service off Portugal for two years and counting.

11M · 36 FT

Barracuda SV11

The entry point to the class: a fully enclosed, climate-controlled cabin sized for crew transfer and boarding operations without giving up sea-keeping.

20M · 75 FT

Voyager

The commercial line: passenger and cargo transfer at the same standard of hull performance the military hulls are built to. Currently manufactured at SafeHaven Marine.

Built to protect

CORE SPECIFICATIONS

70+ kts

Top speed, deep-V wave-piercing hull

45 kts

Cruise speed at 70% power, 1,000nm range

2 × 1,250hp

Caterpillar diesel engines

76cm

Minimum operating depth, littoral-capable

6 + 8

Crew and forward-cabin operators, shock-mitigating seats

Land / sea / air

Transportable, including by helicopter

The hull is airtight with an automatic-closing engine room and withstands a complete inversion during roll-over — self-righting and, by design, virtually unsinkable. A low radar cross-section comes from flat-plane construction, radar-absorbent material, and zero exposed metallic fittings above deck.

From the operators

FIELD REPORTS

The Faroe Islands sit in some of the stormiest water on the planet. After two years of operation, this is the best all-weather boat we've run.

REGIN JESPERSEN / FAROE ISLANDS RESCUE

The 13-meter "Azul" has handled boarding operations in very rough conditions. After two years and 3,000 hours, it still runs perfectly.

PORT OF SINES / PORTUGAL

Ursula, our Interceptor 42, was chosen for strength and sea-keeping. Built on time, and performance has exceeded our expectations since.

HANS KUMMNER / PORT MASTER

Barracuda's performance is second to none in its class.

JOHN CHANG / U.S. DEPT. OF JUSTICE

In one's endless pursuit of travelling fast in rough seas.

FRANK KOWALSKI / DESIGNER & MD, SAFEHAVEN MARINE

ABOUT

A modern approach to water-borne operations.

Future Defense USA builds vessels for search and rescue, coastal patrol, boarding operations, and commercial transfer — missions where the sea, not the mission, is usually the thing that fails a boat. Every hull is 100% built in the USA.

The Barracuda design comes from our partnership with SafeHaven Marine of Youghal, Ireland — 28 years and 160-plus vessels built for 28 countries. Future Defense holds the exclusive North American license to build and sell the line.

Robert DiDonato

FOUNDER & CEO

34 years in business, including 18+ as an NYMEX commodities broker, leading the Barracuda's expansion through defense and commercial networks.

Robin Blair

FOUNDER & CFO

CPA with 35+ years across public and private sectors, including CFO roles at several Washington, D.C.-area companies.

Jay Snyder

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

20 years in defense contracting and 14 as a fighter pilot and mission commander, with vehicle systems work for DARPA, ONR, AFRL, and NAVAIR.

Eric Caplan

CHIEF DESIGN & ARCHITECT

Former Chief Design and Architect at Brunswick Boats, with over 35 years of experience including sales both domestic and to the Middle East.

Oliver Parsons

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY

Advises Future Defense on global strategic growth as part of the BLK SIX partnership. 20 years in commodity and finance investing, including advising $30 billion in private equity investments at JPMorgan.

Douglas B. Earhart

BRIG. GEN., U.S. ARMY (RET.)

Brigadier General with 34 years in the Army, specializing in force management and strategic planning. Commanded Multi-National Task Force East, NATO Kosovo Force, and later led a nationwide biometric identity program for USCIS.

Tim Staples

MARINE EXPERT

Operates a full-service boat and engine repair business serving the greater D.C. area, with dealer status across Yamaha, Volvo Penta, and Garmin. A Chartered Engineer (UK) and RYA Ocean Master.

Press

Future Defense USA's Manufacturing Partner SafeHaven Marine Secures Fourth Pilot Vessel Contract with DP World

Repeat order underscores the reliability of the hull platform behind the Barracuda-class vessels built in Virginia.

WOODBRIDGE, VA — Future Defense USA, Inc., the exclusive North American licensee of SafeHaven Marine's Barracuda-class hull design, today highlighted a new contract awarded to its Irish manufacturing partner by DP World, one of the world's largest port and logistics operators.

Under the agreement, SafeHaven Marine will supply DP World with a fourth 18-meter Interceptor Pilot 60 vessel for operations in the Gulf region. The order follows three Pilot 60s delivered in 2025 that have logged 18 months of successful operational service in the region. The new vessel will be the eighth pilot boat SafeHaven has built for DP World and P&O Maritime worldwide, and the seventy-first pilot vessel the company has delivered since opening its doors.

"This is the same engineering team and the same hull philosophy behind every Barracuda we build in Woodbridge. When one of the largest port operators in the world keeps coming back for more vessels, that's a direct endorsement of the platform our own fleet is built on."
— Robert DiDonato, Founder & CEO, Future Defense USA

DP World operates in more than 80 countries, with a network of over 60 ports and terminals across six continents, and handles approximately 10% of global trade. Its relationship with SafeHaven Marine dates back to 2013, when SafeHaven delivered its first pilot vessel to the group. Future Defense USA builds and sells the same Barracuda-class line — self-righting, airtight interceptor and patrol vessels — under an exclusive and perpetual license for the North American market, manufacturing every hull domestically in Woodbridge, Virginia.

About Future Defense USA — Future Defense USA, Inc. designs, builds, and sells the Barracuda-class family of vessels for military, law enforcement, and commercial operators across search and rescue, coastal patrol, boarding operations, and commercial transfer. All vessels are built in the United States under an exclusive North American license from SafeHaven Marine of Youghal, Ireland.