U.S. Navy Releases RFP for Medium USV

Atlas North America Unveiled its Medium Size USV Design Concept1
Medium Size USV Design Concept on display on Atlas North America stand during SNA 2019. Naval News picture.
The U.S. Navy released a request for proposals (RFP) to industry for the development of the Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV), on July 16.
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The MUSV will be a pier-launched, self-deploying modular, open architecture surface vehicle capable of autonomous navigation and mission execution. The development RFP contains options for additional USVs. A full and open competitive procurement will take place in fiscal year (FY) 2019.

Accelerating Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) and payload development and warfighting integration will provide an inflection point in delivering a more distributed force in support of the National Defense Strategy. The Navy plans to award a contract for a single MUSV prototype in the first quarter of FY20.

The Navy released a draft MUSV performance specification Feb. 5 and conducted an MUSV Industry Day Feb. 12-13. Through months of dialogue with industry, the Navy has incorporated feedback that informed the RFP released on July 16.

Medium size USV in trimaran configuration. Austal picture.

Naval News already reported on various MUSV concepts unveiled at recent trade shows, including concepts by Atlas NA and Austal USA.

The U.S. Navy is moving forward with plans to design and develop large, medium and small size USVs to support operations in blue and littoral waters.

Our video coverage at Sea Air Space 2019 focusing on unmanned systems

Rear Admiral Ronald A. Boxall, Director of Surface Warfare OPNAV N96, said in late 2018, that the focus of his command will be to pack more sensors and weapons into surface vessels so a smaller number of larger vessels can act as command and control for smaller unmanned vessels.

“If you think about what we are trying to do with the surface force, we have large and small surface combatants […] but we have no requirement for unmanned surface vessels right now, which I see as an absolutely critical part of distributed lethality, distributed maritime operations environment that we are moving into. Ultimately I need more nodes out there.”



Rear Admiral Ronald A. Boxall

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