The Pentagon and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) launched a 120-day sprint on Oct. 19 to acquire and field armed uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) designed to counter low-cost drone and surface threats to the fleet, according to a solicitation published by the DIU.
The effort, run in partnership with the Pentagon’s Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM UxS), seeks production-ready USVs capable of integrating existing counter-air weapons such as the AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire, AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) and Stinger missiles. The vessels must detect, track and engage low-flying aerial threats, including Group 1-3 drones and helicopters, at ranges exceeding three nautical miles. Systems capable of engaging larger Group 5 aircraft will be considered highly valuable, the DIU said.
“The cost-exchange ratio for detecting and neutralizing asymmetric maritime and airborne threats in contested environments is heavily skewed in favor of the adversary,” the DIU said in the solicitation. “Low-cost, low-signature threats—including explosive Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), Group 1–3 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), attack helicopters, go-fast vessels, and low-flying aerial vectors—directly threaten surface-fleet operations.”
Proposed vessels must have a minimum operational range of 200 nautical miles and sustain a cruising speed of at least 10 knots. They must support autonomous navigation, station-keeping and collision avoidance, and integrate sensors providing 360-degree detection and tracking of aerial and surface threats. Weapons employment would remain under human supervision, and the vessels must operate in degraded communications and satellite navigation environments. The solicitation also states that “rapid field rearming executable by a two-person crew with minimal support equipment in pier-side, austere, or shipboard environments is highly desired.”
The effort is part of a broader three-phase, 12-month prize challenge offering up to $100 million in awards, including up to $40 million for the second phase focused on counter-air capabilities. The Pentagon has budgeted an additional $200 million for potential follow-on prototyping and production agreements. Companies selected must demonstrate their integrated systems within 30 days, with operational testing planned at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Virginia, in early 2027.
Several firms have already tested relevant systems. Saildrone conducted a missile test using JAGM at the Rim of the Pacific 2026 exercise off Hawaii. BlackSea Technologies has demonstrated its Comet USV, and L3Harris has shown its VAMPIRE counter-UAS system fitted to USVs. French firm Exail will supply a DriX H-9 USV to the Office of Naval Research as a testbed for an unspecified counter-drone system.
Separately, on Oct. 21, a Splash Industries Typhoon USV demonstrated naval interception during Exercise Keen Sword 27 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. The 11-foot jet-powered boat, which can sustain speeds above 50 knots, has also demonstrated autonomous docking inside USS Essex (LHD 2) during RIMPAC 2026 and can launch one-way aerial drones via its Airstrike Pack module.
On Oct. 22, Red Cat Holdings’ maritime division, Blue Ops, opened orders for two new USVs: the 18-foot B-18, built for reconnaissance and one-way attack missions, and the 39-foot B-39, already in low-rate production. The flagship B-26 remains in full-rate production at Blue Ops’ plant in Valdosta, Georgia. Red Cat told investors in March it aims to build more than 100 USVs in 2026 at the Georgia site.
The DIU sprint comes as the Navy faces drone threats such as Iran’s Shahed family, which has proven difficult to counter with existing shipboard systems. The USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) has been upgraded with counter-UAS capabilities, including a Coyote missile launcher, and is operating in the Arabian Sea.
Sources: Naval News · Defence Blog