US Navy launches new Golden Fleet-era USV program, terminates old one
The US Navy has announced a new chapter in its acquisition of unmanned surface ships, aimed at accelerating the development of autonomous capabilities and abandoning its previous program.
The service launched its Medium Unmanned Surface Ship System Family program on Thursday, launching solicitations for a specific class of boats touted as an integral part of the service’s Golden Fleet initiative.
“Our goal is to create a streamlined, recurring market designed to meet the growing demand for unmanned systems in a variety of missions over time, not only for the MUSV, but also for other classes of ships,” said Rebecca Gassler, portfolio acquisition manager for the U.S. Navy’s robotics and autonomous systems.
Speaking to reporters at a virtual media roundtable on Thursday, Gassler said the market is looking for production-ready, mission-capable ships that align with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle’s containerized capability campaign plan.
CNO announced The plan, held at the McAleese Defense Programs conference last week, detailed a vision that modular payloads, or portable containers housing defense capabilities such as drones and weapons, could be deployed to any region of the world.
Navy’s unmanned ship operators now earn special badges
Gassler noted that the MUSV program is focused on at-sea performance, not development nonsense.
requestAt the fair, which will end on April 17, a company’s business plan, production plan, test plan and technical design will be analyzed.
The selected companies and their medium-sized unmanned surface ships will complete the surface testing, which will be carried out by the end of the fiscal year.
Once the Navy passes initial testing of these ships, the service will offer a fixed-price payment to companies that successfully complete on-water testing and move into production or rental contracts, Gassler said.
Speed and efficiency were at the forefront.
According to Gassler, it wasn’t going to be a year of prototyping and development. The Navy would look at a company’s business plan, its manufacturing capabilities, conduct a test, and then “off to the races” for production.
The first of the production ships was expected to be delivered in fiscal 2027.
Regarding MASC closure, Gassler said the program is designed for a specific mission for a specific demand and quantity from the fleet, while the Navy has much more diverse requirements and mission types for MUSVs in the Gold Fleet.
Announced In December 2025, the Golden Fleet will see the construction of new Trump-class warships, which will reportedly be three times the size of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
Navy Secretary John Phelan applauded the new market on social media Thursday.
“This new approach will strengthen private investment and accelerate the delivery of real capabilities to the Fleet,” Phelan said in his X speech. to mail. “We will reward companies that can deliver talent at a pace that is relevant.”
The Navy announced the Modular Attack Surface Ship, or MASC, program on July 28, 2025.
The program called for the development of unmanned surface vehicles that were “imperfect” and could be easily built and maintained.
The program wanted USVs capable of carrying large containerized payloads that could carry weight similar to the Navy’s anti-ballistic missile system, the Mark 70 Mod 1 Payload System.
“One Big Beautiful Bill Bill included about $5 [billion] “For the U.S. Navy’s unmanned programs, including $2.1 billion for medium-sized unmanned surface ships,” a Navy official told Military Times in an emailed statement. “Unmanned ships will be an integral part of the Navy’s Golden Fleet and Hedge Strategy.”
