US Navy Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels: The U.S. Navy is moving ahead with the purchase of 30 Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels (MUSVs) after the boats completed their first round of at-sea testing. Galliano Marine Services, HII and Saronic Technologies have been selected to build the new unmanned vessels. The first boats are expected to reach the Navy before the end of fiscal year 2027.
Each company will build 10 MUSVs. The Navy has put the average cost at around $40 million for each vessel. That puts the value of the 30-boat purchase at about $1.2 billion based on the average price.
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Three Companies Get Production Deals
The Navy used Production Other Transaction Authority agreements for the three companies. This type of deal is meant to help the service move faster than with some traditional acquisition methods.
HII is bringing its ROMULUS family to the program. Saronic has developed the larger Marauder design for long-range missions. Galliano Marine Services comes from the Gulf Coast’s commercial offshore vessel industry. Saronic says its Marauder is 180 feet long and can carry up to 150 metric tons of modular payloads.
Three other companies that took part in the prototype work also completed the required projects. Leidos, PAC MAR and Sea Machines will each receive a $15 million award under the earlier prototype agreements.
All six companies will also be added to the Drones.mil Maritime Marketplace. This will give them a route to possible future production deals from authorised acquisition authorities across the Department of War.
What Did The Navy Test?
The first testing phase looked at some of the most important abilities needed for an unmanned ship.
The Navy checked whether the vessels could understand what was happening around them at sea. It also tested their ability to navigate without a crew while following the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. Long-duration operations were another major part of the trials.
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The Navy also released a Phase II Integration and Testing Call for Solutions on September 23. The new phase is meant to bring more companies and vessel designs into the program and support future MUSV missions.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said, “Our warfighters don’t have time to wait on bureaucracy while our adversaries pace forward.” He added, “Our message to the defense industrial base is simple: build fast, deliver on time, and match the urgency of the threat. This MUSV award is a prime example of how we are streamlining acquisitions to ensure our Sailors and Marines have the capabilities they need to fight, win, and come home safe.”
Navy Wants Flexible Unmanned Ships
The Navy’s interest in MUSVs has been growing for years. Earlier work included DARPA’s Sea Hunter and the Navy’s Overlord program. In 2020, L3 Technologies, now part of L3Harris, also received a contract worth nearly $35 million to develop a MUSV prototype.
The Navy now wants these vessels to do more than simply operate without sailors. Their modular design can allow commanders to add different sensors, weapons and other mission equipment depending on the job.
The Chief of Naval Operations said, “They give commanders a Tailored Offset — additional capacity and capability that can be rapidly adapted to the threat, distributed across the battlespace, and placed at risk without placing Sailors at unnecessary risk,” the CNO said. “Just as importantly, MUSVs give us a platform for rapidly integrating new sensors, weapons, and other mission payloads as technology and operational requirements change. This is about moving beyond experimentation and putting reliable, combat-relevant capability into the hands of our Sailors at the speed the Fleet requires.”
The Direct Reporting Program Manager for Robotic and Autonomous Systems will lead the fielding effort with the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center. The Navy also plans to use its Containerized Capability Campaign so the boats can carry different mission payloads as requirements change.
