“Selected industry partners must successfully complete at-sea demonstrations to prove the maturity of their systems,” Capt. Ron Flanders said in a statement to Breaking Defense.
Navy selects seven proposals for MUSV prototype evaluation
The Navy has advanced seven submissions from its medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) marketplace into the prototype evaluation phase, the service announced. The MUSV marketplace opened in March and attracted more than two dozen designs, Navy spokesman Capt. Ron Flanders said. He did not list the companies chosen to move forward but said a formal announcement was expected within the next few days. USNI News first reported the update.
Marketplace timeline: demonstrations due before October 2026, procurement in FY2027
According to Capt. Flanders, selected industry partners must conduct and pass at-sea demonstrations to demonstrate system maturity. The Navy’s schedule calls for successful demonstrations to take place prior to October 2026. If those demonstrations meet the Navy’s expectations, the service plans to work with industry to have vessels available for Navy leasing or procurement in fiscal year 2027.
Design and performance requirements set by the solicitation document
The MUSV solicitation laid out specific, measurable performance requirements. Submissions had to be capable of carrying at least two 40-foot shipping containers and of transiting 2,500 nautical miles at 25 knots in sea state 4 while carrying a 25 metric ton load on the payload deck, the solicitation document stated. Those conditions define the baseline the Navy will use in evaluating whether designs are operationally useful and mature enough for at-sea demonstrations.
Acquisition model intent and potential mission roles
The marketplace is part of a new acquisition model intended to establish a procurement pathway for autonomous systems, Rebecca Gassler, the portfolio acquisition executive (PAE) for robotic and autonomous systems (RAS), said when the program was unveiled. Gassler did not enumerate specific mission sets for the MUSVs, but she told reporters the vessels could fill multiple operational needs as the Navy implements more tailored force packages outlined in Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle’s Fighting Instructions guidance released in February.
“There’s a number of missions that we could immediately use these vessels for, and that is part of the strategy now, is that we will now have a skillful way to procure vessels that meet specific mission profiles,” Gassler said, describing the marketplace as a mechanism to match vessel designs to mission requirements.
Funding origin: Congress, the president, and a designated appropriation
Marketplace funding can be traced to the legislation described by name in the solicitation: President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which passed in July and included roughly $2.1 billion for MUSVs. That appropriation provided the financial underpinnings for the Navy to establish the MUSV marketplace and move from design submissions to demonstrations and potential procurement.
What this means for the Navy, Saildrone, and procurement leaders
- The Navy and operational planners: The selection of seven prototypes starts a tightly scripted phase of at-sea demonstrations that must occur prior to October 2026 if the Navy is to meet its FY2027 leasing or procurement timeline.
- Saildrone and other industry partners: At least one firm, Saildrone, publicly acknowledged submitting a proposal before the marketplace’s first iteration closed in April, and industry teams that advance will be required to demonstrate mature systems at sea to remain eligible for leasing or procurement discussions.
- Procurement leaders and appropriators: The roughly $2.1 billion designated for MUSVs in the named bill now frames expectations for moving from prototype demonstrations to actual vessel availability; procurement planning will hinge on demonstrable system maturity and the Navy’s assessment of match to mission profiles.
The Navy’s next concrete public steps are near-term: an announcement of the selected companies expected within days and the start of at-sea demonstrations that must succeed before October 2026 to keep the FY2027 procurement timeline viable. Those deadlines set a clear, short runway for industry to prove capability and for the Navy to validate the marketplace acquisition model as a path to fielding autonomous surface vessels.
