![\"Gecko](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/108278801-3ED1-WEX-Jake-031726.jpg\")
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Gecko Robotics<\/a>, a Pittsburgh-based robotics<\/a> startup, on Tuesday announced a $71 million deal with the U.S. Navy<\/a> to cut down ship repair time as the government races to reindustrialize America’s aging defense systems.<\/p>\n The company said its robots \u2014 capable of flying, swimming, and climbing critical infrastructure \u2014 use cameras and sensors to condense a three-month process down to as little as two days. Gecko also said the robots can assess necessary maintenance 50 times faster than other manual techniques. <\/p>\n “This is the kind of stuff that was never possible before, and it’s the reason why it’s taken 18 months to get a destroyer out of the dry dock,” CEO and co-founder Jake Loosararian told CNBC in an interview. “This is not acceptable anymore.”<\/p>\n Loosararian said Gecko will support the Navy’s goal of 80% fleet readiness by 2027<\/a> and streamline ship production so that soldiers can focus on fighting and other threats. <\/p>\n The U.S. is increasing its reliance on defense technology<\/a> startups like Gecko as it seeks to modernize dated U.S. military systems amid rising geopolitical tensions. <\/p>\n These companies are increasingly disrupting traditional defense contractors with innovative artificial intelligence and autonomous tech solutions. <\/p>\n “Software is not enough, and your ability to use artificial intelligence to predict and make decisions is only as good as the data inputs,” Loosararian said. “This is a fundamental shift, and what Gecko does right now, it’s never been done before by any robotics company in the military.”<\/p>\n Since taking office, President Donald Trump<\/a> has prioritized scaling<\/a> and restoring U.S. shipbuilding capabilities<\/a>, which have long lagged behind China. Last month, the administration released<\/a> a multi-page plan to resurrect the struggling sector.<\/p>\n Over the years, Gecko has teamed up with mining, manufacturing, energy and defense businesses to improve aging equipment and slash repair times. That includes defense contractor L3Harris Technologies<\/a>, independent power operator\u00a0NAES and mining giant<\/a> Freeport-McMoRan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gecko was last valued at $1.25 billion<\/a> in a $125 million funding round in June. The two-time Disruptor 50 company was ranked No. 30<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0last year’s list.<\/a><\/p>\n