MUSV

GAO: Navy’s XLUUV Undersea Minelayer $242M Over Budget, 3 Years Behind Schedule

Undated image of XLUUV test vehicle. US Navy Photo

A program to develop an unmanned, 80-ton minelaying submarine is three years late and $242 million over budget, according to a Wednesday report from the Government Accountability Office.

The Navy’s Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV) prototype program was set to deliver five of the autonomous submersibles based on Boeing’s Echo Voyager as a rapid acquisition for the minelayers, according to the GAO.

The service contracted in March of...

https://news.usni.org/2022/09/28/gao-navys-xluuv-undersea-minelayer-242m-over-budget-3-years-behind-schedule

Austal USA Inks Deal with Saildrone to Build Wind-powered Drones as USV Work Expands

Saildrone Photo

By the end of the year, Austal USA’s yard will start producing sail-powered, unmanned surface vessels for the Navy and other customers, the company announced this week.

Starting in October, the Mobile, Ala., shipyard will start building the 65-foot aluminum Saildrone Surveyor drones in its modular manufacturing facility for use by the U.S. Navy.

“The Saildrone Surveyor … is designed specifically for deep ocean mapping and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance applications,...

https://news.usni.org/2022/09/01/austal-usa-inks-deal-with-saildrone-to-build-wind-powered-drones-as-usv-work-expands

DARPA moves to next phase of unmanned surface vessel project

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is moving into Phase 2 of the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program. The aims is to build and demonstrate a revolutionary new medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) that can go to sea and perform missions with unprecedented reliability and availability, while carrying a significant payload.

The agency selected Serco Inc.’s design to move forward at the conclusion of Phase 1.

DARPA says the NOMARS program took a clean-sheet approach to ship...

https://www.marinelog.com/technology/darpa-moves-to-next-phase-of-unmanned-surface-vessel-project/

RIMPAC 2022: Navy Teaming Warships with Unmanned Surface Vessels

Sea Hunter, an autonomous unmanned surface vehicle, arrives at Pearl Harbor to participate in the Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 on June 29, 2022. US Navy Photo

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII – With its four experimental unmanned surface vehicles in Hawaii, the Navy is testing news manned-unmanned teaming concepts at the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise this month.

The service’s two Ghost Fleet Overlord test ships – Nomad and Ranger – are here operating off the coast of Hawaii, along...

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/14/rimpac-2022-navy-teaming-warships-with-unmanned-surface-vessels

New Marine Littoral Regiment Will Make Debut in This Year’s RIMPAC Drills

U.S. Marines with 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, post security during a field training exercise at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii, May 30, 2022. US Marine Corps Photo

Marines with 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment will join ground forces along with a fleet of ships, submarines and aircraft from 26 countries for this year’s multinational, Rim of the Pacific maritime exercise off Hawaii, officials told USNI News.

“As the world’s largest international maritime exercise,...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/06/new-marine-littoral-regiment-will-make-debut-in-this-years-rimpac-drills

New Navy Unmanned Command Will Send 4 Experimental Large USVs to RIMPAC

Sea Hunter sits pierside at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., during the Unmanned Surface Vessel Division (USDIV) One Establishment ceremony on May 13, 2022. US Navy Photo

NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO, Calif. – A quartet of experimental unmanned surface vessels will set sail for Hawaii this summer for a test of a new unit focused on ramping up the Navy’s use of drones to bolster the surface fleet’s lethality.

RIMPAC 2022 will be a high-profile mission for Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 1, which includes...

https://news.usni.org/2022/05/17/new-navy-unmanned-command-will-send-4-experimental-large-usvs-to-rimpac

GAO Report on Navy Unmanned Systems

The following is the April 2022 Government Accountability Office report, Uncrewed Maritime Systems: Navy Should Improve Its Approach to Maximize Early Investments.

From the report

What GAO Found

Other nations are investing in new weapons and technologies designed to disrupt
U.S. naval advantages. Consequently, the U.S. Navy is reexamining its maritime
strategy to respond to increased competition at sea. Based on the results of its
analyses, the Navy determined that surface and undersea vehicles...

https://news.usni.org/2022/04/08/gao-report-on-navy-unmanned-systems

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