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Navy unveils the seven companies that will participate in MUSV at-sea testing - Breaking Defense
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- The US Navy has selected seven companies to compete in at-sea MUSV prototype testing, signaling a deliberate push to expand its unmanned surface fleet.
- The at-sea MUSV trials are scheduled to start soon and will run through October, aiming to validate autonomous capability and readiness for production decisions.
- Selected MUSV candidates include Sea Machines, Leidos, Saronic Technologies, Galliano Marine Services, PacMar Technologies, Birdon, and Huntington Ingalls Industries—diverse, non-traditional players invited to push innovation.
- The Navy intends to award $15 million to successful performers, with eligibility for follow-on production, underscoring a rapid-path approach to fielding unmanned systems.
- The MUSV program seeks to accelerate fielding of autonomous technologies by leveraging mature commercial solutions and partnering with non-traditional shipyards.
- The at-sea tests will assess MUSV performance, interoperability with current systems, and mission adaptability in littoral and expeditionary contexts.
- The exercise will demonstrate how MUSVs can integrate with existing naval platforms to broaden the Navy’s unmanned maritime capabilities.
- This at-sea MUSV milestone aligns with broader Navy goals to expand unmanned surface vessels from four to about 30 ships by 2030 in the Indo-Pacific.
- The competition builds on the Navy’s earlier MUSV trials, including four USVs deployed in the Indo-Pacific in 2024, to mature autonomous operations across conditions.
- The Navy aims to field five to 10 MUSVs in fiscal year 2027 to accelerate the shift toward an unmanned fleet and enhance autonomous capability.
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