# Project EJ9 — Maneuver Support Vessel (MSV)

**Program element:** 0604804A — Logistics and Engineer Equipment - Eng Dev  
**Project:** EJ9  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 5 — System Development & Demonstration  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604804A/EJ9  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604804A

## Summary

Project EJ9 — Maneuver Support Vessel (MSV) requests $19.6M in FY2027, 30% of the $65.2M requested for program element 0604804A, up 192% on FY2026. 2 R-2A activities decompose the request, 1 new this cycle. TBS is the largest named R-3 performer at $9.5M, 48% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 14.5 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 6.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 19.6 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 18.8 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 21.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 5.4 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 5.5 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0604804A; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project EJ9 buys

This project line supports the family of Maneuver Support Vessels (MSV) which enable Dynamic Force Repositioning (DFR) by providing the Combatant, Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) and Joint All Domain Operations (JADO) Commanders with the ability to access multiple entry points via littorals and inland waterways (waterborne corridor) to sustain forces within an anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) bubble. The family of MSV include the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) (MSV(L)) and other systems both manned and autonomous, to include the Autonomous Resupply Vessel (ARV), Autonomy of MSV, and enablers which support INDOPACOM operational plans and Army Title 10 requirements to prepare for land combat and provide watercraft support in a theater of operations in support of Geographic Combatant Commands (GCC). MSV connectors will provide Surge, Precision and Dispersed Logistics to move and maneuver tailored forces, combat ready troops, platforms, equipment, and supply bulk fuel and water across the full spectrum of operations. MSV connectors mitigate A2/AD threats by providing access to shallow coastal waters, rivers, in narrow inland waterways in support of dispersed force elements in austere environments and where mature ports or road networks are unavailable. The MSV(L) provides upgraded capabilities such as higher operational speed, reduced draft and increased payload to support expeditionary movement and maneuver of tailored forces and combat power to mitigate the Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) operational environment. Capable of delivering a combat configured Abrams, Stryker or Bradley Fighting Vehicles along with critical sustainment missions including delivery of food, water, fuel, and ammunition. MSV(L) is the first new development program which will displace the Army's aging Landing Craft Mechanized-8 (LCM-8) class of vessels. The LCM-8 does not have the speed, functional draft (shallow water capability), interoperability, or maneuver capability to move today's Army Maneuver Platforms. The ARV is an autonomous uncrewed cargo vessel employed as part of an intra-theater Human Machine Integrated (HMI) Supply and Distribution System. The ARV will operate in unison with manned, remotely operated, and unmanned systems to sustain widely dispersed land formations deployed in contested littoral environments.

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

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| TBS | 9.5 | 48% |

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

## Activities (R-2A) — 2

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARV Development | — | — | 17.6 | new | — |
| MSV Testing | 14.5 | 6.7 | 2.0 | −70% | — |

> 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.

### ARV Development — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** Initiate ARV development by utilizing multiple vendors to produce proof of concept platforms for test and evaluation, resulting in down select and further development, test, and evaluation.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Funding increase due to Autonomous Resupply Vessel (ARV) development.

### MSV Testing

**FY2027 planned work.** LRIP 1 RAM Testing

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 decrease due to completion of testing on EMD vessel

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Funds testing of MSV(L) prototype vessel.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Funds testing of Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) (MSV(L)) prototype vessel. MSV(L) EMD Shipyard Maintenance.

## 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/0604804A.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0604804A project EJ9 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604804A")`.

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