# Project 3428 — Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV)

**Program element:** 0605513N — Unmanned Surface Vehicle Enabling Capabilities  
**Project:** 3428  
**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/0605513N/3428  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605513N

## Summary

Project 3428 — Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) requests $98.4M in FY2027, 39% of the $255.1M requested for program element 0605513N — a new start, with no prior-year and no current-year money. 2 R-2A activities decompose the request, 2 new this cycle.

**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 | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 0.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 98.4 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 107.5 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 110.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 109.8 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 111.8 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0605513N; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 3428 buys

The United States Navy's various unmanned surface vessel (USV) programs are strategically unified under a single, cohesive portfolio. This portfolio encompasses the Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) program as well as a suite of critical prototypes, which include the Sea Hunter, Seahawk, Ranger, Mariner, Vanguard, and the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS). By consolidating these diverse platforms, the Navy ensures that all resources and developmental efforts are aligned, creating a focused initiative to advance the capabilities of the Future Surface Combatant Force (FSCF). This integrated structure provides a clear line of sight from initial experimentation to fleet-level application. These programs collectively serve as a crucial hedge force for the Chief of Naval Operations' (CNO) overarching strategy, most notably the Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) concept. The portfolio provides affordable, high-endurance, and reconfigurable ships that can rapidly and affordably expand the capacity and capability of the manned surface fleet. MUSVs and the associated prototypes augment the Navy's combat power by creating a distributed network of sensors and platforms capable of weeks-long deployments and trans-oceanic transits. They can operate aggregated with Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) and Surface Action Groups (SAGs) or perform missions independently, providing the Navy with flexible and resilient options to maintain maritime dominance. The portfolio's primary mission is centered on integrating, experimenting with, and maturing technology to reduce risk for future naval endeavors. This effort is focused on seamlessly integrating robust and proven commercial vessel specifications with existing military payloads and command and control systems, leveraging years of investment from DARPA, the Office of Naval Research, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The prototypes, operated by the Navy's Surface Development Squadron out of San Diego, are in a constant state of experimentation, providing a means to demonstrate and mature a payload's ability to operate autonomously.

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

## Activities (R-2A) — 2

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSV Family of Systems | 0.0 | 0.0 | 57.2 | new | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605513N/3428/a0) |
| MUSV Fleet Operations and Test | 0.0 | 0.0 | 41.3 | new | [a1](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605513N/3428/a1) |

> 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.

### MUSV Family of Systems — NEW START

MUSV Family of Systems focuses on developing and validating Navy Fleet requirements and needs with stakeholders. These capabilities will be conveyed to industry on an annual basis, to allow new and novel solutions to new requirements be accelerated to the Navy. MUSV will host and employ various payloads in order to bring capability to…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605513N/3428/a0

### MUSV Fleet Operations and Test — NEW START

In FY2027, Follow-On Production Other Transaction Agreements will be awarded to allow serial delivery of MUSV vessels, to allow an enduring solution to provide purpose built unmanned vessels to the Warfighter to host various payloads depending on the capability required. The Fleet Operations and Test team will participate in surrogate…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605513N/3428/a1

## 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/0605513N.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0605513N project 3428 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605513N")`.

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