The U.S. Navy is demonstrating its unwavering commitment to innovation with the upcoming acquisition of its first Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) in a year. This cutting-edge platform, designed to carry various payloads, is a testament to the Navy's dedication to pushing the boundaries of naval technology. According to the RFI, six additional units might be acquired within two years. MUSV is expected to be a mobile magazine for U.S. Navy warships, fitted with weapon and ISR payloads.
The former was demonstrated in a firing test where a MUSV launched an SM-6 long-range air defence missile using a containerised Mk70 VLS based on the widely used Mk41 VLS. The U.S. Navy continues integrating various USVs under the Ghost Fleet programme. The MUSV prototype is based on a civilian vessel displacing more than 500 tonnes with sufficient space for heavy weaponry like the aforementioned Mk70 VLS, which is also used for a vertical launch test of PAC-3 MSE air defence missiles.
In addition to MUSV, the U.S. Navy is continuing the design of its much larger LUSV, which is expected to carry a larger amount of VLS cells, onboard sensors, and even small UAVs. NAVSEA has announced the completion of extended reliability demonstrations of four different engine configurations for the LUSV programme at the end of March 2024.
