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| Austal concept of Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) showing an optionally-manned bridge, VLS cells and engine funnels amidships. Note that there is plenty of free deck space with a tethered UAS aft of the ship. The LUSV is meant to be the U.S. Navy’s adjunct missile magazine. Austal picture. |
Summary
The U.S. Navy is making significant progress on its Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) program, which aims to develop large autonomous ships to supplement the fleet's missile capacity as part of the Distributed Maritime Operations concept.
Key milestones:
1. Four teams successfully completed 720-hour tests of different engine configurations, demonstrating their capability to operate for extended periods without human intervention.
- 1. Bollinger and Carter Machinery on behalf of Caterpillar in Chesapeake, Virginia
- 2. Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) and Carter Machinery on behalf of Caterpillar in Chesapeake, VA
- 3. Gibbs & Cox and Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas on behalf of Cummins\
- 4. Huntington Ingalls Incorporated (HII), in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, on behalf of MTU
2. The Navy christened its first purpose-built unmanned surface vessel, Vanguard, which will join prototypes Mariner and Ranger for tactical development of USV concepts.
3. The Navy plans to issue a formal requirement for a production LUSV this year, with the first order potentially in FY2025 at an estimated cost of $315 million.
Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Navy is exploring similar concepts with its Large Optionally Manned Surface Vessels (LOSVs) program. Austal and partners recently completed successful sea trials of an autonomous former patrol boat called Sentinel. Australia is considering the U.S. LUSV as a potential solution for its LOSV program.
The U.S. Navy is holding an Industry Day on June 10, 2024 to brief industry on the LUSV program's vision, schedule, and technical requirements in order to accelerate USV development and procurement. This demonstrates the Navy's commitment to advancing unmanned maritime capabilities.
LUSC Industry Teams
The four teams that successfully completed 720-hour engine testing milestones for the U.S. Navy's Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) program are:
1. Bollinger and Carter Machinery on behalf of Caterpillar in Chesapeake, Virginia
- Demonstrated the mechanical reliability of the 1550 kw Caterpillar 3512C model engine.
2. Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) and Carter Machinery on behalf of Caterpillar in Chesapeake, VA
- Demonstrated the mechanical durability of the Caterpillar 2300 kW rated 3516 main propulsion diesel, lube oil, and fuel system.
3. Gibbs & Cox and Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas on behalf of Cummins
- Validated the reliability of the QSK95 diesel engine paired with an ABB AMG 0560M04 LAE generator.
4. Huntington Ingalls Incorporated (HII), in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, on behalf of MTU
- Conducted a successful demonstration of the MTU 20V 4000 M93L, a Main Propulsion Diesel Engine configuration.
These four engine configurations are now eligible for use in the LUSV program.
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US Navy Achieves Engine Testing Milestones for LUSV Program - Naval News
NAVSEA press release
The four 720-hour tests demonstrated the capability and durability of different engine plants to operate for extended periods without human intervention – a critical enabler for advancing unmanned maritime operations and the Navy’s manned-unmanned Hybrid Fleet concept.
Mandated by a congressional requirement in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the engine testing milestones must be completed before the LUSV can proceed into a formal development phase. An engine system only qualifies for use in the program after successful demonstration events.
Demonstrations of each engine configuration took place over 720 continuous hours. No human intervention or preventative/corrective maintenance on the equipment was permitted during this time. Successfully completing the demonstration meant that an engine system could not exhibit any failures or issues that would require maintenance of any kind during operations on an unmanned ship for 30 days.
Four teams have successfully completed their separate 720-hour testing milestones. The successful teams include:
· Bollinger and Carter Machinery on behalf of Caterpillar in Chesapeake, Virginia was the first team to achieve this milestone in December of 2023. They demonstrated sufficient mechanical reliability of the 1550 kw Caterpillar 3512C model engine.
· Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) and Carter Machinery on behalf of Caterpillar in Chesapeake, VA demonstrated mechanical durability of the Caterpillar 2300 kW rated 3516 main propulsion diesel, lube oil and fuel system.
· Gibbs & Cox and Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas on behalf of Cummins also validated the reliability of the QSK95 diesel engine paired with an ABB AMG 0560M04 LAE generator.
· Huntington Ingalls Incorporated (HII), in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, conducted a successful 720-hour demonstration on behalf of MTU of the MTU 20V 4000 M93L, a Main Propulsion Diesel Engine configuration.
Each of these respective engine configurations are all now eligible for use on the LUSV program.
“These successful test events mark a significant milestone for our team and brings us one step closer to delivering the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel to the Navy. The completion of these rigorous engine tests is a testament to the hard work and collective expertise of both our Navy team and our industry partners. We are pleased with the results and look forward to continuing our work with industry to forge the future Hybrid Fleet.”
Capt. Scot Searles, program manager of the Unmanned Maritime Systems (PMS 406) program office
LUSVs will supplement the Fleet’s missile magazine capacity as part of the Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) concept. Currently, the LUSV is envisioned as a vessel greater than 200 ft. in length with a full load displacement of approximately 1,500 tons. LUSVs are intended to be low cost, high endurance, modular USVs that can employ a variety of payloads.
The Navy in 2020 awarded six LUSV conceptual design contracts to industry teams to refine program requirements and to provide informed feedback on the Navy’s LUSV requirements. As part of these contracts, each of these teams have been pursuing propulsion plant efforts, culminating in these engine test demonstrations.
PEO Unmanned and Small Combatants leads the Navy’s efforts to develop, deliver and sustain capable and affordable unmanned maritime systems to meet Fleet requirements.
U.S. Navy Christens Newest Unmanned Surface Vessel, Vanguard
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy christened Vanguard, the newest Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) during a recent ceremony in Mobile, Alabama.
Vanguard is the Navy’s first USV purpose-built from the keel up for unmanned operations and is part of the Pentagon-sponsored Overlord program.
“Vanguard represents a significant leap forward in unmanned technology,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Smith, Program Executive Officer, Unmanned and Small Combatants. “The addition of Vanguard will enable the expansion of unmanned testing, experimentation and development, accelerating the transition to the hybrid fleet.”
The Overlord program has played a pivotal role in accelerating and advancing the use of unmanned technology across the Navy. The Pentagon-funded effort launched the Navy’s experimentation with USVs and the resulting prototypes now fulfill a vital role in preparing the fleet to adopt USVs in operations. The knowledge and experience gained from the program is driving the development and requirements for the Navy’s future Large USV (LUSV) program. LUSVs are intended to be low cost, high endurance, modular USVs that can employ a variety of payloads. The USV prototypes are integral to the Navy’s mission of expanding unmanned operations and growing a manned-unmanned hybrid fleet.
“Vanguard’s name could not be more fitting. The state-of-the-art technology she will employ is revolutionary and will be at the forefront of establishing new standards for our fleet,” said Capt. Scot Searles, Unmanned Maritime Systems program manager. “We are thrilled to achieve this important milestone and are looking forward to Vanguard leading the way as she enhances our nation’s naval power and strategic capabilities.”
Austal USA and L3Harris jointly led the development and construction of Vanguard. Once outfitting and testing is complete, Vanguard will transit to San Diego and join sister ships Mariner and Ranger as part of the Navy’s Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One (USVDIVONE), responsible for the tactical development of USV concepts of operations and training.
PEO USC designs, develops, builds, maintains and modernizes the Navy’s unmanned maritime systems; mine warfare systems; special warfare systems; expeditionary warfare systems; and small surface combatants.
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| Austal PBAT (Patrol Boat Autonomous) Trial |
Royal Australian Navy Explores Autonomy and Optional Crewing: Eyes LUSV as Potential LOSV Solution - Second Line of Defense
By Gregor Ferguson
The Australian Department of Defence’s response to the Royal Australian Navy surface fleet review, Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant Fleet, published in February, announced the RAN would field six Large Optionally Manned Surface Vessels (LOSVs) from the 2030s to carry missile launch systems.
Interestingly, the RAN program closely resembles a similar but far more advanced one in the United States, the US Navy’s Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) program.
The LOSVs will each carry a 32-cell Mk41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) to supplement the firepower of the RAN’s manned warships. Its Lockheed Martin Aegis Baseline 9 combat system makes possible a Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) with Aegis-equipped manned surface ships and enables the vessel to carry out both Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) and conventional Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) operations.
If the LOSV program goes ahead, the ships will augment the RAN’s three Hobart-class AAW destroyers and six Hunter-class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates – which will still have a world-class AAW sensor and combat system combination – as well as the seven to eleven General-Purpose frigates to be acquired from later this year. None of these ships are over-endowed with Mk41 VLS launch cells: the Hobart-class ships have 48, the Hunter-class has 32 and the General-Purpose frigates will have just 16.
Importantly, the LOSV will be equipped with the Aegis Baseline 9 combat system: Aegis alone comes with the coveted CEC which the US Navy has only ever shared with Japan and Australia. All of the RAN’s Aegis-equipped warships are also being upgraded to Baseline 9 which enables ABM defence and protection of a sea or contiguous land area against hypersonic ballistic weapons.
So the LOSVs could operate in direct support of these ships – but they could also protect deployed Australian troops, Australian and allied ships threatened by hypersonic ballistic anti-ship missiles or even vulnerable Australian population centres.
The LOSVs obviously need to have an Aegis-equipped ship within communications range with a sensor suite that can detect conventional missiles, aircraft and ballistic missiles. The SPY-1D(V) radars on the Hobart-class can do this, and so can the CEAFAR2 radars on the Hunter-class.
We don’t know yet about the General-Purpose frigates, though most builders of the contenders at last year’s Indo pacific 2023 show in Sydney showed models of their ships with the CEAFAR2 radar and stated they used the Saab Australia 9LV Mk3E combat system/tactical interface which is used universally by the RAN.
The Mk41 VLS will enable anything from 128 quad-packed Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) for self-defence, to 32 single-packed SM-2, SM-3, SM-6 or Tomahawk missiles for long-range anti-aircraft, anti-missile/ABM and strike purposes. As long ago as 2021 the US Navy conducted a successful CEC-enabled trial of Raytheon’s AMRAAM-based SM-6 aboard its Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) Ranger using a Mk41 VLS as the launcher.
While an Australian-built autonomous LOSV may seem like a distant dream for most Australians, the reality is actually much firmer.
The US Navy and RAN have both proven the CEC works using the Aegis Baseline 8 system. Just as important, fully autonomous and optionally crewed vessels have been tested by both navies: while the US Navy has had prototypes in the water for several years, Perth-based Austal Australia put an optionally crewed prototype to sea for the first time in March this year and finished the Sea Acceptance Trials (SAT) on this vessel in April.
The successful SATs (including Endurance Trials) of the remote and autonomously operated vessel Sentinel marked the first phase of what the RAN calls the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT). They consisted of a series of remote and autonomous navigation events conducted off the Western Australian coast during March and April 2024.
The trial vessel, the RAN’s de-commissioned Armidale-class Patrol Boat (ACPB) HMAS Maitland, employed Perth-based start-up Greenroom Robotics’ Advanced Maritime Autonomy Software to navigate reliably. At 57 metres LOA, Sentinel is by far the largest vessel operated in Australia to be operated remotely and autonomously.
Funded (at an undisclosed level) by the Commonwealth of Australia, PBAT is a collaboration between Austal Australia, Greenroom Robotics, the Brisbane-based Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre (TAS DCRC, which receives its core funding from the Department of Defence) and the Royal Australian Navy’s Warfare Innovation Navy (WIN) Branch. Its aim is to use the former ACPB to provide a proof-of-concept demonstrator for optionally crewed or autonomous operations.
The release in 2020 of the RAN’s Robotic and Autonomous Systems – Artificial Intelligence (RAS-AI) 2040 Strategy was the trigger for the TAS DCRC and Austal to get together. They saw an opportunity to re-purpose the former HMAS Maitland to define and better understand existing autonomous technology and how it could meet RAN needs. The partners also saw an opportunity to explore whether an autonomous platform could deliver asymmetric warfighting advantage.
Austal took possession of the decommissioned HMAS Maitland in 2022 and modifications included changes to the ship’s navigation, communications, bilges, CCTV, and electrical systems.
The Sentinel has been fitted with two autonomy systems: firstly, GreenRoom Robotics’ software-based GreenRoom Advanced Maritime Autonomy (GAMA) system, which enables remotely operated or full autonomous missions while complying with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, COLREGs, without crew intervention.
Secondly, a platform autonomy system, developed by Austal and based on the company’s in-house MARINELINK control and monitoring system, which enables operation of the Sentinel’s mechanical and electrical systems without crew intervention.
A key aspect of the initial trial was the endurance component, designed to observe Sentinel’s behaviour in an extended endurance mode. During this trial she operated autonomously with minimal to no crew interaction.
When the ship returns to sea the PBAT trial will focus on a bunch of other goals, starting with simply progressing the concept of remote operations and the autonomous certification approach.
At a sub-system level, the partners need to investigate and understand the sustained operation of shipboard mechanical systems reliably without crew intervention, including adding redundancy to enable operations at sea for extended periods, something the US Navy has explored also (see below). They also need to understand better how fuel management, communication and navigation systems can be made autonomous, and how they will work.
Longer-term, the PBAT trial will generate data contributing to risk reduction for future RAN projects involving remote or autonomous vessels. Short-term, the RAN could potentially transfer lessons learned about remote and autonomous systems to its current fleet to optimise crew workload: remote and autonomous operation has the potential to reduce crew workload and increase operational safety by reducing human error.
Austal says it is open to expanding the PBAT program and actively investigating opportunities to both extend current autonomy and optional crewing systems and integrate new systems to increase Sentinel’s capability or that of any future trials vessel.
Any future phases will be assessed to ensure the needs of the RAN’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems-Artificial Intelligence (RAS-AI) 2040 Strategy are still being met, the company says. Extension of this program will help to build the capabilities necessary to support two key requirements, says the company: the future LOSV program (which is where we came in); and the introduction of new technologies into the broader surface fleet to ensure future crewing requirements can be achieved. These aren’t stated as yet but the firm trend in Australia is to use fewer personnel and have smaller ship’s companies.
The PBAT program wasn’t established specifically with the LOSV program in mind, points out Austal, though everything to do with LOSV will benefit from the PBAT trial. Austal strongly supports the introduction of the LOSV to the Navy’s surface fleet, as you’d expect given that it will build the ships; and it points out also that its investment in autonomy, both in Australia and in the USA, has been with this type of platform in mind.
Austal’s Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said the completion of the initial phase of the sea trials marks a significant PBAT milestone, successfully demonstrating the capability of the locally developed autonomous systems and their integration within a full-size, Australian-made naval vessel.
“Looking ahead, we are excited about the potential opportunities to work with [the RAN] to further advance the autonomous technology demonstrated during the trial; on projects such as the Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels (LOSV), recently announced by the Australian Government as part of the Surface Combatant Fleet Review,” Mr Gregg said in a statement.
So, this work positions the RAN to adopt autonomous technology in the future. In recent announcements Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles has said the planned LOSV platform will likely be acquired through formal RAN engagement with the US Navy’s LUSV program. Essentially, whatever the US Navy gets Australia will get, he’s suggesting, and the RAN will be a ‘fast follower’.
But however enticing the LUSV program looks, the PBAT trial is also designed to address Australia’s own sovereign requirement for a trusted autonomous system, especially an armed one. It needs to ensure the autonomous control system aboard the LOSV conforms with Australia’s needs and with the country’s high ethical standards for robotic and autonomous systems.
LUSV Program
The US Navy’s Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) program is, as you’d expect, very similar to the RAN’s LOSV program. It is designed to deliver adjunct missile magazine capacity – essentially Mk41 VLS cells – to the Fleet as part of the US Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) concept. The difference is that the US Navy has been experimenting and developing technology in this area for several years and (budgets permitting) plans to order its first production autonomous ship as early as FY2025 at a planned cost of about US$315 million.
The US Navy’s vision for LUSV is for a ship between 200 and 300ft LOA with a full-load displacement of approximately 1,500 tons. It is intended to be a low-cost, high endurance, modular USV that can carry a variety of payloads.
Late last year US Naval Sea Systems Command issued a Request for Information (RFI), asking industry for feedback on its draft LUSV proposals. “[It] will be built to commercial American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) vice military standards,” said the RFI which closed in December. “As an adjunct magazine, LUSV will operate with Carrier Strike Groups (CSG), Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESG), Surface Action Groups (SAG), and individual manned combatants.”
“The LUSV will be capable of autonomous navigation, transit planning,
and COLREGS compliant maneuvering and will be designed with automated
propulsion, electrical generation, and support systems,” according to
the US Navy’s FY 2024 budget documents.
“LUSV missions will be conducted with operators in-the-loop (with
continuous or near-continuous observation or control) or on-the-loop
(autonomous operation that prompts operator action/intervention from
sensory input or autonomous behaviors).”
The Navy plans to issue its formal requirement for a production LUSV this calendar year. The PEO Unmanned and Small Combatants and PMS 406 are leading the US Navy’s effort.
The LUSV program started to gain traction in 2020 when the service awarded LUSV study contracts worth US$42 million to six US companies: Austal USA; Bollinger Shipyards; Fincantieri Marinette; Gibbs & Cox; Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII); and Lockheed Martin.
In March this year the US Navy announced that propulsion plants for solutions expected to be offered by four of the six – Bollinger, Fincantieri Marinette, HII and Gibbs & Cox – had all passed the mandated 720-hour engine reliability tests. These were intended to demonstrate that different propulsion plants can operate for extended periods without human intervention. This test is the milestone the LUSV program must pass before it can go into a formal development phase.
Meanwhile, autonomous ships already operated by the Navy have surpassed or come close to the 720-hour benchmark. A fleet of four unmanned prototypes – Unmanned Surface Vessels (USV) Mariner, Ranger, Seahawk and Sea Hunter – from the US Navy’s San Diego-based Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One (USVDIV-1) self-deployed across the Pacific to Sydney late last year to participate in the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) EX Autonomous Warrior in October-November 2023. Later, they headed on to Japan before returning home.
The role of Austal USA is interesting. It is based in Mobile, AL, but is a subsidiary of Austal Australia. Last year the parent company signed the Heads of Agreement with the Australian government which could result in Austal becoming the government’s strategic shipbuilder at its Henderson base near Perth under a new Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement.
So, any ships built in Western Australia for the RAN would be built by Austal, including the LOSVs and between four and eight General-Purpose Frigates announced in this year’s Australian Surface Combatant Review.
Austal has been positioning itself carefully for the new world of autonomy. A year ago the company handed over to the US Navy an optionally crewed Expeditionary Fast Transport, USNS Apalachicola (EPF-13), the largest ship in the US fleet with autonomous capability. And in January, with L3Harris, it launched the OUSV-3 Vanguard, the first autonomous ship designed for the US Navy from the keel up, though sister to two existing USVDIV 1 ships, Ranger and Mariner.
There are no suggestions that Austal’s participation in the RAN’s PBAT trial will have any effect on its likely bid to build the LUSV for the US Navy, but its investment in research across two nations in autonomy and robotics won’t do it any harm at all.
Gregor Ferguson is a defence and innovation analyst, consultant and teacher as well as a defence innovation communicator and writer. He’s the Publisher and Editor of EX2, the online newsletter devoted to defence innovation. He is also the part-time Innovation Coordinator at the AMDA Foundation Limited which organises the Avalon Air Show, the Indo-Pacific International Maritime Exposition, the Land Forces Exposition and the Indian Ocean Defence & Security conference.
Gregor spent 14 years as Editor and then Editor-at-Large of Australian Defence Magazine (ADM), Australia’s leading defence industry journal. At the same time he became a regular contributor to The Australian, The Australian Financial Review and was the Australian correspondent for Defense News in Washington DC.
Credit Photo: The photo of the Endurance is credited to Austal.
Austal completes Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial sea trials - Australian Defence Magazine
The collaborative Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT) project has successfully completed the sea acceptance trials (including endurance trials) of the autonomously operated vessel, Sentinel.
The trials, conducted by Austal Australia, consisted of a series of remote and autonomous navigation events conducted off of the Western Australian coastline during March and April 2024; utilising Greenroom Robotics’ Advanced Maritime Autonomy (GAMA) Software to reliably navigate the de-commissioned Armidale-class patrol boat.
Throughout the trials, a limited number of project team members, observers and a crew from International Maritime Services (IMS) were on board, in case of any unforeseen deviations or necessary manual interventions.
PBAT is a collaboration between Austal Australia, Greenroom Robotics, Trusted Autonomous Systems (TAS) and the Royal Australian Navy Warfare Innovation Navy (WIN) Branch to establish robotic, automated and autonomous elements on a former Navy patrol boat to provide a proof-of-concept demonstrator for optionally crewed or autonomous operations.
The trial has also explored the legal, regulatory pathways and requirements of operating an autonomous vessel.
“Trusted Autonomous Systems are extremely impressed and proud of the achievements of the PBAT project," said TAS Chief Executive Officer Glen Schafer.
"Autonomous and automated features on a vessel of this size in addition to the regulatory considerations are complex. It is a clear demonstration of the significant innovation possible through investment in sovereign industry”.
In 2022, Austal Australia took possession of the decommissioned HMAS Maitland from the Commonwealth of Australia, renamed the vessel ‘Sentinel’ and commenced planning, modification, testing and evaluation of autonomous and remotely operated systems for the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT). At 57 metres long, Sentinel is the largest vessel in Australia to be operated remotely and autonomously.
Sentinel was extensively modified to enable remote and autonomous operations, including modifications to navigation, communications, bilges, CCTV, and electrical systems. Sensors and computer units were also added by Greenroom Robotics to inform and host the Autonomous Control System, GAMA.
"Looking ahead, we are excited about the potential opportunities to work with Navy to further advance the autonomous technology demonstrated during the trial, on projects such as the Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels (LOSV), recently announced by the Australian Government as part of the Surface Combatant Fleet Review," said Paddy Gregg, Austal CEO.
Austal stated that the PBAT team - comprising Austal, Greenroom Robotics, TAS and Navy WIN Branch - have worked hard and achieved the objectives of the trial which was to demonstrate the autonomous technology successfully within a complex regulatory and operating environment.
Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) Industry Day
Industry Day Overview:
On 10 June 2024, The Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants, Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office will host an Industry Day to brief the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) Program.
The purpose of this Industry Day is to improve Industry's understanding of how the LUSV Program fits into the transforming surface force. The objective of Industry Day is to provide Government information and solicit industry feedback to accelerate the development and procurement of future USVs.
This Special Notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, proposal quotations, or as an obligation on the part of the Government.
LUSV Industry Day will provide an overview of: the LUSV Program vision and objectives; the program schedule; and the engineering/technical requirements and objectives.
Industry Day Information
The Industry Day event will be held in person in the Washington D.C. metro area. See Attachment, LUSV Industry Day Registration Form to register for Industry Day. The exact address will be provided via separate correspondence to registered and confirmed companies only. Registration is required to attend Industry Day. Walk-ups are not allowed.
LUSV Industry Day will be 10 June 2024 from 0900 to 1700 EST with the Government presenting LUSV information. Industry Day will be held at the UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use Only level and the information presented by the Government is considered Distribution Statement D. Access will be restricted to U.S. DoD contractors only. Phones, laptops, or any sort of recording devices are not allowed. Lock boxes / storage lockers are not available. The deadline for registration is 31 May 2024 at 1700 EST or when the attendance limit is reached, whichever occurs first.
Up to two representatives per company are allowed to attend the Industry Day. No more than two individuals per company will be allowed in the event space. There will be no hand-out materials provided to industry. Questions may be submitted before, during, or after the event using attachment, LUSV Interested Offeror Questions form. All questions and answers will be posted to the LUSV Bidder's library. Instructions for requesting access to the Bidder's library can be found on the LUSV SAM.gov site. (https://sam.gov/opp/69a738a6702842199be7e010bb1abf0a/view)
Notional LUSV Industry Day Schedule:
The notional agenda for the Industry Day is below. This agenda is subject to change.
Monday, June 10, 2024
0800-0900: Check-In
0900-1215: Government Presentation
1215-1315: Lunch (Lunch will not be provided.)
1315-1630: Government Presentation Continued
1630-1635: Wrap-up
DISCLAIMER:
This pre-solicitation notice is for information only and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to solicit contractual offers or award contracts. Prior to release of the formal solicitation, the Government is not soliciting, nor will it accept, proposals as a result of this synopsis. The Government will not reimburse the cost of any submission in response to this announcement -- the entire cost of any submission will be at the sole expense of the source submitting the information. If a solicitation is issued in the future, it will be announced under Contract Opportunities via the System for Award Management (SAM) website (https://sam.gov/) and interested parties must comply with that announcement. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any questions submitted or information provided as a result of this notice.
The Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants, Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office will host an Industry Day to brief the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) Program. The purpose of this Industry Day is to improve Industry’s understanding of how the LUSV Program fits into the transforming surface force. The objective of Industry Day is to provide Government information and solicit industry feedback to accelerate the development and procurement of future USVs.
Work Details
The LUSV Industry Day will provide an overview of: the LUSV Program
vision and objectives; the program schedule; and the
engineering/technical requirements and objectives.
The notional agenda for the Industry Day includes check-in, government presentations, lunch, and wrap-up.
Questions may be submitted before, during, or after the event using the provided form.
10 June 2024 from 0900 to 1700 EST
Place of Performance The Industry Day event will be held in person in the Washington D.C. metro area.
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