Navy Planning Aggressive Unmanned Ship Prototyping, Acquisition Effort

Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV) prototype Sea Hunter pulls into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Oct. 31, 2018. US Navy Photo

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Navy has tightly coupled early prototyping efforts and future acquisition efforts for medium and large unmanned surface vehicles, to speed up the time it will take to experiment with the vessels and get them fielded to fleet commanders, the program manager said last week.

The Navy recently accelerated its timelines...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/15/navy-planning-aggressive-unmanned-ship-prototyping-acquisition-effort

Navy, Pentagon Looking Across Services’ Budgets for Truman Refueling Funding

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Atlantic Ocean on Dec. 12, 2018. US Navy photo.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Navy is unsure what spending items, if any, it will have to give up now that the White House has decided it wants to refuel aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), but leaders are confident that the Navy will still find money to keep its unmanned surface vessels on track.

The Navy had originally proposed not refueling Truman halfway through...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/07/navy-pentagon-looking-across-services-budgets-for-truman-refueling-funding

Sea Hunter Unmanned Ship Continues Autonomy Testing as NAVSEA Moves Forward with Draft RFP

Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV) prototype Sea Hunter pulls into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Oct. 31, 2018. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy released a draft request for proposals for its Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle as the Office of Naval Research continues to prove out the autonomous control system on a first test ship.

The MUSV program – whose role in future fleet operations continues to grow as the Navy looks to become more distributed and more...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/29/sea-hunter-unmanned-ship-continues-autonomy-testing-as-navsea-moves-forward-with-draft-rfp

Panel: Unmanned Surface Vessels Will be Significant Part of Future U.S. Fleet

The Sea Hunter, a Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV). US Navy Photo

The Navy’s next force structure assessment likely will add significant numbers of large and medium-sized unmanned surface vessels to meet the challenges of a new era of Great Power competition, experts in maritime strategy and budget said on Monday.

The emphasis on unmanned for the new shift in fleet composition would show “the urgency with which the Navy is attacking the situation,” even without a concept of...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/15/panel-unmanned-surface-vessels-will-be-significant-part-of-future-u-s-fleet

Navy Betting Big on Unmanned Warships Defining Future of the Fleet

Medium displacement unmanned surface vehicle (MDUSV) prototype Sea Hunter is moored onboard Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy has more questions than answers on how it will use unmanned warships in the future, but it knows now is the time to get unmanned surface vehicles into the water and start learning, the Navy’s top requirements officer told USNI News.

The service is so sure that it needs USVs for its future operations that it is pouring $2.7...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/08/navy-betting-big-on-unmanned-warships-defining-future-of-the-fleet

Navy Wants 10-Ship Unmanned ‘Ghost Fleet’ to Supplement Manned Force

A Naval Sea Systems Command-developed Iraqi 60-meter Offshore Support Vessel. US Navy briefing material indicate that early versions of the service’s large unmanned surface vessels could be based on OSV designs. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – As the Navy faces more complex threats to its manned ships from Russia and China, the service is moving quickly to field an unmanned “Ghost Fleet” — a new breed of armed unmanned surface combatants will add more sensors and weapons to the current fleet.

In Fisc...

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/13/navy-wants-ten-ship-3b-unmanned-experimental-ghost-fleet

Navy to Contract New Class of Unmanned Surface Vehicle by Year’s End

Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV) prototype Sea Hunter pulls into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Oct. 31, 2018. US Navy Photo

The Navy is moving fast to acquire a new class of unmanned surface vehicles and hopes to award a contract for USV designs by the end of the year, USNI News has learned.

In the next two months, the service is set to issue a request for proposals for a new class of medium USV, up to 50 meters long, according to an unclassified readout of the...

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/06/navy-contract-new-class-unmanned-surface-vehicle-years-end