‘RFI’ for military use of UUVs

In September, the Navy solicited a “Request For Information” from contractors asking for proposals on how existing unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) could be adapted for military use. Under the “extra large unmanned undersea vehicle” project, Naval Sea Systems Command wants to conduct experiments to develop tactics and concept of operations. Contractors like Battelle, General Dynamics and Boeing Phantom Works have made big bets on commercial robots they believe are suitable and cheaper than what the Pentagon could invent. Undersea Solutions Group (USG), which was acquired by Huntington Ingalls Industries, built its UUV craft called Proteus in 2012 at its Panama City, Fla., facility in partnership with Battelle and Bluefin Robotics, who developed its navigational and software systems. Proteus has undergone more than 100 test missions and 400 logged hours underwater. (Source: National Defense 09/27/16)