The U.S. Navy is interested in working with industry to build medium and large unmanned underwater vehicles to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, National Defense Magazine reported Friday.
Pete Small, program manager for unmanned maritime systems within the program executive office for unmanned and small combatants, said at an Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International event in Washington, D.C., that the service intends to release a request for proposals for the Snakehead large UUV prototype in fiscal 2020. Small noted the Navy is looking for industry experts to help in its unmanned vessel development efforts.
œI™m looking to find those partners to team with as we kind of build that infrastructure of training and operations and support, he added.
Michael Alperi, a deputy program manager at Naval Sea Systems Command, said the Navy plans to issue a draft RFP for the Razorback medium UUV during FY20™s second quarter. Boeing (NYSE: BA) received a $274.4M contract in March to build five prototypes of the Orca extra-large UUV platform. The branch expects to receive the systems between 2020 and 2022.
