# Project 1234 — Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV)

**Program element:** 0603502N — Surface & Shallow Water MCM  
**Project:** 1234  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603502N/1234  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603502N

## Summary

Project 1234 — Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) requests $16.3M in FY2027, 50% of the $32.5M requested for program element 0603502N, down 8.0% on FY2026. 4 R-2A activities decompose the request. Textron is the largest named R-3 performer at $9.6M, 59% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

**Markets:** Uncrewed & Autonomy — matched on the project title only, and no market size is quoted.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 16.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 17.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 16.3 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 16.7 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 16.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 16.8 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 17.1 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0603502N; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 1234 buys

The MCM USV program consists of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) with Mine Countermeasures (MCM) payloads. The program began as the Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) program which consisted of a USV paired with a magnetic and acoustic sweep capability. As the USV progressed, the Navy modified the program so the craft would integrated and operate other payloads. The UISS program was subsumed by the MCM USV Program upon successful Full Rate Production Decision Review in September, 2023. The program consists of four products: 1) The MCM USV is a semi-autonomous dual drive, 38 foot long, 10 foot wide aluminum hulled craft powered by two diesel engines. The craft contains a situational awareness and contact avoidance suite consisting of optical, radar, and GPS and is directed and monitored by the Multi Vehicle Communication System (MVCS) with a host station, such as LCS, Vessel of Opportunity (VOO), or shore site. The reconfigurable payload bay adds a modular mission capability enabling multiple payloads (mine sweep and mine hunt). The MCM USV Block 1 is a Multi-Mission USV (MMUSV) design which incorporates lessons learned into the baseline MCM USV to improve manufacturability and reduce cost of production and lead times. 2) The Mine Sweep Payload Delivery System (PDS) brings magnetic and acoustic mine influence sweep capability to the MCM USV. The PDS includes a winch, a magnetic sweep cable, and a Towed Acoustic Generator (TAG) along with capability to deploy and retrieve the towed equipment. 3) The Mine Hunt PDS brings a mine hunting capability by integrating the existing AN/AQS-20 on to the craft. This may also include the integration of other Mine Hunt PDSs in support of other sonar systems other than the AN/AQS-20 sonar, both legacy and future systems, that are needed to support the Remote Mine Hunt mission. The PDS includes a winch, cable and tow body handling equipment. 4) The Mine Neutralization PDS will neutralize mines previously identified throughout the water column using the Barracuda Mine Neutralizer. The PDS will consist of a launcher and communications gear to communicate with the neutralizer in the water. The program completed ship-based TECHEVAL and IOT&E in FY22. The program declared Initial Operational Capability in Q2FY23.

**R-3 lines of work:** Product Development; Support; Test and Evaluation; Management Services.

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| Textron | 9.6 | 59% |

> Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations. Shares need not reach 100% — unnamed and government work is in the denominator.

## Activities (R-2A) — 4

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCM USV Product Development | 8.4 | 15.5 | 14.4 | −7% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603502N/1234/a0) |
| MCM USV Test and Evaluation | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.9 | −4% | — |
| MCM USV Support | 5.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | — |
| MCM USV Management Services | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | −100% | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### MCM USV Product Development

- Continue Mine neutralization Payload Delivery System (PDS) design and integration with the MCM USV - ECP development and implementation of system upgrades following Fleet feedback - Finalize integration of AN/AQS-24 with MCM USV - Cybersecurity improvements to address discrepancies against program requirements

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603502N/1234/a0

### MCM USV Test and Evaluation

**FY2027 planned work.** - Conduct continued on-water testing of mission and payload autonomy installed on MCM USV - On-water and regression testing for ECPs and system upgrades - AN/AQS-24C payload integration testing - MMUSV with Minehunt payload integration testing - MMUSV integration with seaframe

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Decrease due to reduction in contractor support savings

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Conduct continued on-water testing of transit autonomy installed on MCM USV - On water testing to support Beyond Line of Sight capability improvements - On-water and regression testing for ECPs and system upgrades - New payload integration testing

### MCM USV Support

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Continue yearly development cycle for software and hardware to improve the MCM USV Cybersecurity posture and compliance with updated requirements and instructions. - ECPs to address system upgrades underdevelopment to address Fleet feedback.

### MCM USV Management Services

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Decrease due to reduction in contractor support savings

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Manage craft and payload development contract and options. - Requirements definition for mine neutralization and AN/AQS-24 payload delivery systems

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603502N.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0603502N project 1234 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603502N")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*