Overview
- The Navy opened a new Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel “marketplace” Thursday, with proposals due April 17 and required on-water trials completed by the end of Fiscal 2026.
- Leaders scrapped the MASC prototyping effort in favor of buying production-ready boats, aiming to test at sea this summer and take first production delivery in Fiscal 2027 to shave roughly a year off timelines.
- Funding comes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which set aside about $2.1 billion for medium USVs, and the solicitation offers a $10,000 award at selection and $15 million after a successful water test.
- Officials cast the move as part of the Golden Fleet and the CNO’s Hedge Strategy, with designs built to host modular, 40‑foot container payloads so sensors or weapons can be swapped without redesigning the hull.
- Vendors must submit a technical design plus business, manufacturing, sustainment, and test plans, and the Navy will consider government- or contractor-owned boats and leasing options to speed scaling.