# Advanced Undersea Prototyping — Program Element 0604536N

**Program element:** 0604536N  
**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/0604536N

## Summary

U.S. Navy funding ramps 172% to a $164.5M request in FY2027 — the program's peak, before stepping down 67% across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate added 30% (to $214.5M); House appropriators cut 5.5% (to $155.5M). Anduril leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 20.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 60.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 164.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 69.2 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 55.4 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 53.4 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 54.4 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 164.5 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 164.5 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 214.5 | +50.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 155.5 | −9.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (4)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3394 | Adv Undersea Prototyping-Vehicles, Propulsion & Navigation | 20.9 | 2.6 | 124.2 | +4670% |
| 2094 | Unmanned Underwater Vehicle | 0.0 | 0.0 | 22.6 | new start |
| 4023 | Expeditionary Underwater Systems | 0.0 | 0.0 | 17.6 | new start |
| 9999 | Congressional Adds | 0.0 | 57.9 | 0.0 | −100% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project 3394 — Adv Undersea Prototyping-Vehicles, Propulsion & Navigation

The Department of the Navy's unmanned undersea systems portfolio is a multi-faceted approach to address a Joint Emergent Operational Need and enhance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific. The UUV FoS portfolio includes the Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV), which features a modular payload bay for current and future systems. To accelerate development of XLUUV capabilities, the Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP) project will leverage commercial sources and rapid prototyping through the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). This effort is complemented by stationary systems like Liberator, a seabed-positioned launcher for deploying various payloads in hard-to-reach areas, and the Hunter payload, which provides advanced mining capabilities for XLUUV platforms. A dedicated test and evaluation branch supports the entire portfolio, managing test programs from contractor testing to operational assessments to ensure the timely delivery of these critical undersea capabilities.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orca | 20.9 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
| CAMP | 0.0 | 0.0 | 97.6 |
| Liberator | 0.0 | 0.0 | 26.6 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project 2094 — Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

The Dragonfish project is a direct response to specific operational needs established by both the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT) and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). The Dragonfish is being developed as a UUV capable of conducting one-way attacks, providing a crucial offensive capability against both surface naval targets and fixed land-based infrastructure.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** Anduril (19.3, 85%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonfish | 0.0 | 0.0 | 22.6 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project 4023 — Expeditionary Underwater Systems

The MK18 Expeditionary Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) programs represent a critical portfolio of capabilities, directly supporting the Chief of Naval Operations' (CNO) strategy to hedge our forces against evolving maritime threats. This portfolio is centered on a dynamic approach of integrating, experimenting with, and maturing advanced technologies to ensure a persistent undersea advantage. The MK18 Expeditionary UUV programs develop, field and sustain advanced and highly portable UUVs to support a variety of critical naval missions. The Family of Systems consists of the fielded MK 18 MOD 1 Swordfish small UUV and MK 18 MOD 2 Kingfish medium UUV, both in sustainment. The MK 18 family also consists of the next generation cybersecure MK 18 MOD 3 Lionfish, currently in full rate production and intended as a small UUV replacement to the MK 18 MOD 1. The Lionfish has greater endurance, depth, sensor, autonomy, cybersecurity and other improvements over the Swordfish. Finally, the MK 18 family consists of the MK 18 MOD 4 Viperfish, currently in development and test/evaluation, and intended as a more capable and more expeditionary deep water UUV replacement to the larger MK 18 MOD 2. The Viperfish smaller size allows launch, recovery and movement from a much larger host of platforms, to include the 9-meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, and will leverage volume and bottom minehunting at the same or deeper depths as the larger legacy MK 18 MOD 2. These programs provide required unmanned capabilities to expeditionary forces such as Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) platoons, Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures (ExMCM) companies, Mobile Diving and Salvage units, Naval Special Warfare forces, USMC Littoral forces, and UUV Squadrons. They provide a safe and effective means to conduct mine countermeasures, surveillance, and intelligence gathering; enabling the remote detection and neutralization of underwater threats like mines and IEDs, and the detection, classification and localization of other items of interest. They directly support fleet battle group maneuver through key maritime terrain both in deep water and in chokepoints, along with contested logistics, Maritime Homeland Defense, and amphibious operations.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** HI (1.6, 9.0%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viperfish | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.7 |
| Lionfish | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.8 |
| Swordfish and Kingfish | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project 9999 — Congressional Adds

The Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP) project will conduct competitive Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle capability demonstrations leveraging commercial sources and non-developmental prototypes in accordance with FY25 NDAA section 1032. The project will use the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU) Commercial Solution Opening (CSO) process, prototyping, and spiral development. Systems will be assessed on vehicle range, payload capacities, and technical maturity to meet Indo-Pacific Command requirements.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 13% | 20.9 |
| Government labs & warfare centers | 11% | 17.6 |
| Other / unspecified | 77% | 126.0 |

**Top named industry performers:** Anduril ($19.3M, 12%).

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Department encourages additional vendor participation in the design, development, and production of alternative weapons systems to meet current and future warfighting requirements. With current major weapons systems production at capacity, the nation is looking for alternative systems to fill these gaps. The Department is implementing diverse procurement strategies to enable rapid acquisition. These will include the use of Other Transaction Authorities, 'Marketplace' acquisition platforms, and alternative concepts to increase supply and suppliers in addition to traditional FAR-based procurement strategies.

Orca XLUUV is a multi-phased accelerated acquisition effort using USC Sec. 2358 authorities to rapidly deliver capability to the Fleet. Phase 1 was a competitively sourced design effort. Two design contracts were awarded to Boeing and Lockheed Martin in FY 2017. Phase 2 commenced with a down select in FY 2019 to Boeing for fabrication and testing of the vehicle and support elements. Five Orca XLUUV operationally relevant prototype systems (vehicles, mobile C2 equipment, and support equipment) are being fabricated for demonstration and for use by the Fleet. A test and training asset (XLE0) was added to the contract in March 2022 and delivered to the Navy in FY24 to support early learning, prototyping, training, and in-water risk reduction testing..

## Related program elements

- [0604028N — Small/Medium Unmanned Undersea Vehicles](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604028N) (Navy)
- [0604366N — Standard Missile Improvements](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604366N) (Navy)
- [0604010F — Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604010F) (Air Force)
- [0605232A — Hypersonics EMD](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605232A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604536N (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604536N")`.

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