The U.S. Navy and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) are making waves in maritime technology with their latest venture into small unmanned surface vehicles (sUSVs), partnering with a mix of mid-size, non-traditional, and venture-backed companies to fast-track these advanced vessels from concept to capability.
“Selected systems promise to bring formidable capability into the larger portfolio of unmanned systems that will be vital to protecting our interests in the region,” Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, said in a statement.
“This is an important step in augmenting our traditional combatant force and providing commanders with a greater range of capabilities and employment options to increase our tactical and strategic advantage,” he continued.
The Navy and DIU have evaluated each sUSV prototype based on production capacity, vehicle performance, and autonomy capabilities. A critical aspect of this evaluation is the readiness of each prototype for high-rate production, aligning with Replicator’s ambitious timelines.
The Replicator initiative – which is overseen by DIU – aims to field thousands of innovative systems across multiple domains and into the hands of warfighters by August 2025, as part of the Pentagon’s strategy to counter China’s rapid armed forces buildup.
In May, the DoD announced it had secured $500 million for the initial phase of its Replicator initiative. This first tranche includes a range of capabilities such as uncrewed surface vehicles, uncrewed aerial systems, and counter-uncrewed aerial systems, sourced from both traditional and non-traditional vendors in various sizes and payload configurations.
“This is yet another example demonstrating the department’s growing ability to leverage leading commercial and dual-use technologies to meet critical and emerging national security needs and put capability in the hands of the warfighter, fast, while broadening the defense industrial base for the future,” DIU Director Doug Beck noted.
The companies were chosen from over 100 applicants who responded to the Commercial Solutions Opening launched by DIU in January 2024.
Each selected company’s production plans and processes will be reviewed through an independent third-party manufacturing readiness assessment. This evaluation will address potential production constraints, supply chain risks, and areas needing improvement.
