Navy launches Phase II for medium robo-ship project, seeks ‘innovative solutions’

The medium displacement unmanned surface vessels Seahawk, front, and Sea Hunter launch for the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem 21. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Thomas Gooley)

WASHINGTON — The Navy is ushering in a new phase of integrating and testing medium unmanned surface vessels (MUSV) — and is seeking new solutions to include on its online marketplace for unmanned systems.

“MUSV uses modular design principles to create adaptable and resilient solutions that can effectively counter evolving threats,” the Navy said in a solicitation notice, posted on Sept. 23 . “We invite interested parties with expertise in innovative solutions to complex problems, vessel construction, autonomy, perception systems, and general maritime experience to participate in this opportunity. Vendors will be evaluated on platform maturity, open-architecture autonomy compatibility, endurance, payload integration capacity, and rapid-production scalability.”

Specifically, the Navy is looking for vessels that can complete at least 10 days of unmanned operations, can accommodate a payload capacity of at least two standard 20-foot shipping containers, and that are no longer than 90 meters, according to the notice. Prior to Phase II, the Navy’s previous MUSV guidance issued earlier this year stated that designs submitted should hold at least two 40-ft shipping containers.

Vendors with successful proposals will complete a demonstration at sea, where the vessel will be evaluated on its sustained speed, maneuverability, fuel burn, among other criteria.

Approved platforms will be included on the maritime marketplace website where the Pentagon hopes to “rapidly configure and issue funded delivery orders for vetted maritime autonomous systems without redundant procurement cycles,” according to the solicitation.

“This open call will allow new entrants to compete and existing vendors to submit updated product blocks and modular payload configurations,” the notice said.

The Navy announced plans for an MUSV Marketplace in March as part of a new procurement model to acquire production-ready, mission capable platforms already available. Navy officials at the time described the marketplace as the first iteration of a recurrent marketplace.

中型排水量无人水面舰艇“海鹰”号、“海鹰”号和“海猎人”号为美国太平洋舰队的“无人系统集成作战问题21”下水。（美国海军二级大众传播专家托马斯·古利摄）

华盛顿——美国海军正在开启中型无人水面舰艇（MUSV）集成和测试的新阶段，并正在寻求新的解决方案，以纳入其无人系统在线市场。

“MUSV采用模块化设计原则，打造适应性强、韧性高的解决方案，能够有效应对不断演变的威胁，”海军在9月23日发布的招标公告中表示。“我们诚邀在复杂问题创新解决方案、舰艇建造、自主系统、感知系统以及一般海事经验方面拥有专业知识的各方参与此次招标。供应商将根据平台成熟度、开放式架构自主系统兼容性、续航能力、有效载荷集成能力以及快速生产扩展能力进行评估。”

根据公告，海军具体要求是：舰艇需具备至少10天的无人作业能力，有效载荷至少为两个标准20英尺集装箱，且长度不超过90米。在第二阶段之前，海军今年早些时候发布的MUSV（多用途无人作战舰艇）指南曾规定，提交的设计方案应至少能容纳两个40英尺集装箱。

提案成功的供应商将完成海上演示，届时将根据船舶的持续航速、机动性、燃油消耗等标准对其进行评估。

根据招标书，获批的平台将被纳入海事市场网站，五角大楼希望通过该网站“快速配置并发布经审查的海上自主系统的资金交付订单，而无需重复采购周期”。

公告称：“此次公开征集将允许新进入者参与竞争，并允许现有供应商提交更新的产品模块和模块化有效载荷配置。”

今年3月，海军宣布了MUSV（多用途舰艇）市场计划，作为一项新的采购模式的一部分，旨在采购已具备生产能力和作战能力的现成平台。当时，海军官员将该市场描述为循环采购市场的第一阶段。