Navy Issues Draft Request to Industry for Large USV

The medium unmanned surface vehicle prototype Sea Hunter moored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The Navy has issued a draft RFP for a large unmanned surface vehicle, another of the vessels planned for its future surface fleet. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Nathan Laird

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has issued a draft Request for Proposals for its planned Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV), one of the vessels planned for its future surface fleet.

“The LUSV will be a high-endurance, reconfigurable ship able to accommodate various payloads for unmanned missions to augment the Navy’s manned surface force, the Aug. 9 announcement on the FedBizOps website said.

“With a large payload capacity, the LUSV will be designed to conduct a variety of warfare operations independently or in conjunction with manned surface combatants. The LUSV will be capable of semi-autonomous or fully autonomous operation, with operators in-the-loop (controlling remotely) or on-the-loop (enabled through autonomy).”

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) intends to award multiple contracts for conceptual designs from the defense industry. A final RFP is to be issued in the fourth quarter fiscal 2019.

On July 16, the Navy issued an RFP for the Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV), another vessel planned to be part of its future fleet concept. That RFP calls for “a pier-launched, self-deploying modular, open architecture, surface vessel capable of autonomous safe navigation and mission execution.”

The Navy is expected to field the LUSV and MUSV as adjuncts to its future surface fleet that will include the future surface combatant and the new FFG(X) guided-missile frigate as well as Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers and the Independence- and Freedom-class littoral combat ships.