Following a widely attended industry day earlier this summer, the U.S. Navy formally invited defense contractors to submit white papers about how they would go about designing, developing, and demonstrating autonomous unmanned surface vessels (USVs) carrying containerized payloads.  

“The Department intends to swiftly prototype and demonstrate one or more [Modular Attack Surface Craft] USVs capable of embarking containerized payloads. This prototype will seamlessly maneuver with other Navy surface vessels or operate independently,” according to documents published by the service’s unmanned maritime systems program office. 

“The objective is for a non-exquisite vessel design that maximizes use of commercial standards to allow construction and repair at multiple shipyards. Producibility, readiness, and the ability to scale up production are key aspects of the proposed vessel solution.”

The service’s documents do not outline a specific schedule for a contract award, but they do state that the Navy plans to use Other Transaction Authorities. The documents also emphasize a need for the vessel to be fielded and mass-produced within 18 months of a prototype contract being awarded—suggesting that the service intends to move quickly once it weeds out select submissions.

The solicitation offers three “vessel solutions,” all with slightly varying specifications, but the one rated as most relevant to the Navy’s operational needs characterizes a MASC capable of carrying “two forty-foot… containerized payloads that weigh 36.3 metric tons (MT) and consume up to 75 kilowatts each.”

“While carrying 25 MT on the payload deck, the vessel should achieve a minimum range of 2,500 nautical miles (nmi) while maintaining at least 25 knots, at all times, in NATO Sea State 4,” according to the document.

Proposals are due no later than Aug. 11.