Draft RFP initiates acquisition process for large unmanned ships

摘要

The draft RFP for the Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LUSV) is the first phase in an effort to transition plans for the LUSV into a fully fledged shipbuilding programme. A final version of the RFP is due to be issued later in 2019, probably in the fourth quarter of 2019. As highlighted by Warship Technology earlier this year, the US Navy recently begun to scope out requirements for a new generation of optionally manned and unmanned surface vehicles as part of its evolving Future Surface Combatant Force (FSCF) architecture. The FSCF mix could eventually include a Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) and the LUSV. Work was proceeding in parallel on the development of an Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA) that is intended to promote autonomy commonality and reduce acquisition costs across both surface and undersea unmanned vehicles.