Seven Firms Advance In US Navy’S Medium USV Program

Seven Firms Advance in US Navy’s Medium USV Program

Illustration (Credit: Sea Machines)

The U.S. Department of the Navy has selected seven companies to advance to the at-sea testing phase of its Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) marketplace initiative.

The companies selected for the MUSV Family of Systems development program are Sea Machines, Leidos, Saronic Technologies, Galliano Marine Services, PacMar Technologies, Birdon, and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).

The Navy said companies whose vessels successfully complete at-sea testing will receive $15 million and become eligible for follow-on production opportunities.

Testing is scheduled to begin next month and is expected to conclude by October 2026.

According to the Navy, the initiative is intended to accelerate the deployment of unmanned maritime capabilities by leveraging mature commercial technologies.

The Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Robotics and Autonomous Systems said its mission is to deliver capabilities that expand naval power, increase operational persistence, and create operational challenges for adversaries.

The Navy said the MUSV marketplace also aims to create opportunities for smaller and non-traditional shipyards to participate in future fleet development through a new approach to naval acquisition focused on rapidly fielding unmanned systems.