The U.S. Navy intends to issue a solicitation for the design, development, and production of the Medium Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (MUUV), also known as unmanned mine hunter.
The new mine countermeasures and data collection autonomous vehicles are to be launched by surface vessels and submarines.
According to an updated request for information published at the U.S. government’s main contracting website, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) aims to determine whether industry can produce a modular Unmanned Undersea Vehicle to provide persistent surface launched and recovered Mine Countermeasures (MCM) and submarine-based autonomous oceanographic sensing/data collection in support of Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPOE) and MCM.
Initial MUUV production systems are expected to support Expeditionary MCM Companies, Navy officials say.
The MUUV will be a modular, open systems, and open architecture UUV. In the Razorback Torpedo Tube Launch & Recovery (TTL&R) configuration, it will provide submarine-based autonomous oceanographic sensing and data collection in support of intelligence preparation of the operational environment. In the MEMUUV configuration, it will provide persistent surface-launched and -recovered mine countermeasures (MCM).
The notional MUUV will contain a common baseline vehicle architecture, including sensors and components, for the submarine and expeditionary configurations. Launch-and-recovery systems will reflect each configuration’s unique requirements and missions.
The MEMUUV is designed for launch from Navy and Marine Corps surface vessels, vessels of opportunity or land-based forward operating bases. The Razorback derives from the Navy’s submarine-launched Littoral Battlespace Sensing Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (Submarine) effort which has two deployment configurations: Dry Deck Shelter and TTL&R.