Seven companies have been identified by the Navy as supporting the first round of medium unmanned surface vessel prototyping, the service said on Friday.
The announcement of the companies follows Navy acknowledgement of the selection of the first seven designs for the MUSV marketplace, USNI News reported. Several of the companies have previously announced teaming agreements with other companies. The MUSV concepts have to pair the hull, mechanical and engineering systems, along with autonomy software that can operate the vessels without any crew aboard.
The following companies were identified Friday by the Navy:
Galliano Marine Services in Louisiana, which does also does business as Edison Chouest, was tapped for two different MUSVs concepts, USNI News understands. Drone maker Anduril had announced a MUSV bid with Edison Chouest in April, however Anduril was not included in the list the Navy published on Friday.
Saronic, based in Austin, Texas, has pitched its Marauder USV concept scaling up its autonomous systems from its existing inventory of small USVs. The company launched the first Marauder hull Friday at its Franklin, La., according to the company.
HII, based in Newport News, Va., has pitched its Romulus MUSV that it plans to build at Breaux Brothers shipyard in Louisiana. Romulus uses the Odyssey autonomy systems HII developed after acquiring Spatial Integrated Systems, Inc., Alion Science and Technology and the underwater drone maker Hydroid over the last several years, HII’s CEO Chris Kastner said this week at a conference hosted by Bernstein Research in New York City.
Sea Machines, with U.S. operations in Boston, has publicly offered up a MUSV concept called STEAM RACER and announced a partnership previously with St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Fla.
PacMar Technology, based in Hawaii, has been building smaller USVs. The company has been working with HavocAI to develop unmanned surface vessels, DefenseOne reported.
Birdon America, based in Bayou La Batre, Ala., is known for work with the U.S. Coast Guard and is building to prototype landing vessels for the Marine Corps. Birdon America signed an agreement with Mythos AI last month to work on an MUSV bid, according to a report in Work Boat.
Leidos developed the Sea Hawk and Sea Hunter USVs that were used by DARPA and the Navy. The company has indicated it was developing other unmanned systems.
The companies selected now have until the end of the fiscal year to prove their designs meet the Navy’s criteria.
The Navy’s requirements include the vessel having the ability to travel 2,500 nautical miles at 25 knots in sea state 4 carrying a payload of up to 25 metric tons, according to naval solicitation documents published in late March. The payload tonnage will be accommodated between two 40-foot containers.
“Companies whose MUSV successfully completes the at-sea test will receive $15 million and will be eligible for follow-on production. At-sea testing will begin next month and should be complete by October 2026,” reads a Friday statement from the Navy. “The MUSV marketplace creates new opportunities for smaller, non-traditional shipyards to build our future fleet. This initiative represents a strategic shift in naval acquisition, designed to rapidly field unmanned technologies by leveraging mature, existing commercial solutions.”
