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In October 2013, Kongsberg Defence subsidiary Hydroid, Inc., of Pocasset, MA received a maximum $36.5 million, 5-year, sole-source award for its unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) from the US Navy’s Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division in Indian Head, MD. They’ll be buying 2 types of UUVs.
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Hydroid’s smaller MK18 MOD1 Swordfish UUVs are based on the REMUS 100 UUV. It possesses a small side-scan sonar, but its scan, resolution, and buried target detection don’t match the Kingfish. It’s also used for basic hydrographic profiling, however, which is a very useful as a baseline before mine countermeasures work begins.
Their MK18 MOD 2 Kingfish UUVs are typically used for mine countermeasures work, and are typically launched from ships, but they can also be hand-launched by teams in 11m RHIBs. They were deployed to the Persian Gulf earlier this year in response to Iranian threats, and replaced their smaller MK18 MOD1 Swordfish counterparts at that time. They’re based on the REMUS 600 UUV, with a Small Synthetic Aperture Sonar Module (SSAM) configuration that provides wider sonar swath scan, higher resolution imagery, and buried target detection.
Both of these UUVs are currently contractor-operated, but the US Navy does intend to begin operating them itself by 2015. They probably could be loaded onto a Littoral Combat Ship as an interim measure, ahead of the planned 2017 in-service date for Bluefin Robotics’ Knifefish SMCM mine-countermeasures UUV. Sources: GSN, “Navy to buy more unmanned underwater vehicles for mine countermeasures work” | See also ongoing developments around LCS & MH-60S mine counter-measures for a wider overview.
Updates
August 26/20: Upgrades Areté Associated von a $9.7 million contract for integration services supporting incremental upgrades, block upgrades and future generations of MK 18 Family of Systems unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), additional UUVs and remotely operated vehicles. This 17-month contract includes no options.The Mk 18 Mod 1 Swordfish UUV is capable of performing low-visible exploration and reconnaissance in support of amphibious landing; mine countermeasures operations such as search, classification, mapping, reacquire, and identification; hydrographic mapping at depths from 10 to 40 feet. Work will take place in Arizona and Florida. Estimated completion is August 24, 2020-
July 22/20: Engineering Support General Dynamics Missions Systems won a $13.6 million contract modification to exercise an option for engineering support for ongoing development, test and production of the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (SMCM UUV) program, also known as Knifefish. The Knifefish program will provide persistent volume and bottom mine hunting capability in a contested environment. This option exercise is for engineering support hours to support a number of efforts, including test and evaluation, engineering change proposal development and upgrade initiatives. The Knifefish is an autonomous unmanned water vehicle. It is a propeller-driven minesweeping robot. Work will take place in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and Michigan. Estimated completion will be by September 2021.
April 28/20: Production Support Hydroid Inc. won a $39.4 million modification to exercise Option Year One for production support for the MK-18 Family of Systems – Unmanned Underwater Vehicle systems. Based on the REMUS 100, the Swordfish MK-18 is designed to Search, Classify, and Map (SCM) the Very Shallow Water Region (10?40 ft). The Navy has a total of 24 Swordfish vehicles: EOD Mobile Unit 1 San Diego, CA : 4 Systems (12 Block A Vehicles), Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 (MDSU?2), Norfolk, VA: 1 System (3 Block A Vehicles), Naval Oceanographic and Mine Warfare Command (NOMWC), Stennis, MS: 3 Systems (9 Block B vehicles). The Mk 18 Mod 1 Swordfish UUV is capable of performing low-visible exploration and reconnaissance in support of amphibious landing; MCM operations (including search, classification and mapping; and reacquire and identification); and hydrographic mapping in the VSW zone (10 to 40 feet depth) and the seaward approaches. It is capable of navigating via acoustic transponders in long-baseline or ultra-short-baseline mode or via P-coded GPS. Work will take place Pocasset, Massachusetts and is expected to be complete by April 2024.
September 18/19: Production Support Hydroid won a $52.3 million contract modification for production support for the MK 18 family of Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Systems. The MK18 program supports UUV systems. Dubbed Mk 18 Mod 1 and Mod 2 Kingfish within the US Navy service, Hydroid’s Remus 100 and 600 UUVs feature a modular design which enables the Navy to easily reconfigure their sensors for mission specifics. The biggest Remus 600 has a mission endurance of nearly 70 hours with speeds up to 5 knots at depths up to 600 meters. The Kingfish uses side scan sonar to search and discover objects of interest. Developed since 2003, the Remus 600 has a range of 286 nautical miles with its increased payload. Hydroid will perform work in Pocasset, Massachusetts and estimated completion will be in April 2024.
August 28/19: Low-Rate Initial Production The Navy tapped General Dynamics with a $44.6 million modification for low-rate initial production of the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (SMCM UUV) or Knifefish. The Knifefish program is an ongoing effort to provide a UUV that detects and classifies undersea volume, bottom and buried mines in high-clutter environments. It is part of the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Countermeasures Mission Package and can also be deployed from vessels of opportunity. The Knifefish system, which consists of two unmanned undersea vehicles along with support systems and equipment, uses cutting-edge low-frequency broadband sonar and automated target recognition software technology developed by the Naval Research Laboratory and successfully transitioned to industry. It acts as an off-board sensor while the host ship stays outside the mine field boundaries. The low-rate initial production effort will provide the initial systems for the Navy to test and operate. Work will take place in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Virginia, and Michigan and is expected to be finished by August 2021.
August 8/19: Training Services The Navy contracted Hydroid Inc. with $15.8 million for engineering support and training services for the MK 18 Family of UUV Systems. The Unmanned Underwater Vehicles are. The Navy asked Hydroid in May to upgrade the underwater drones under a potential $47.9 million contract. Hydroid’s smaller MK18 MOD1 Swordfish UUVs possess a small side-scan sonar. It’s also used for basic hydrographic profiling, however, which is a very useful as a baseline before mine countermeasures work begins. Their MK18 MOD 2 Kingfish UUVs are typically used for mine countermeasures work, and are typically launched from ships, but they can also be hand-launched by teams in 11m RHIBs. The current deal includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $84,024,996. Work will take place in Pcasset, Massachusetts and is scheduled to be complete by August next year.
July 19/19: Engineering Services General Dynamics Missions Systems won a $9.2 million fixed-fee modification in support of the Knifefish. The deal provides engineering services for ongoing development, test, and production of the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) program. Knifefish is a heavyweight class Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Unmanned Undersea Vehicle designed for deployment off the Littoral Combat Ship. The Knifefish UUV provides the mine warfare commander with enhanced mine-hunting capability in a contested environment. Engineering services hours are used for a number of efforts, including test and evaluation, engineering change proposal development, and pre-planned product improvement initiatives. General Dynamics will perform work within the US and estimated completion date is in July, 2020.
April 26/19: Production Support The Navy tapped Hydroid with $23.1 million for MK 18 Unmanned Underwater Vehicle systems production support. The contract modification includes option periods which could bring the cumulative value of the contract to $47.9 million. The Navy Hydroid MK 18 Mod 1 UUV is a variant of the Hydroid REMUS 100. The MK 18 Mod 1 Swordfish UUV is capable of performing low-visible exploration and reconnaissance in support of amphibious landing, mine countermeasures operations such as search, classification, mapping, reacquire, and identification, and hydrographic mapping at depths from 10 to 40 feet. MK18 MOD 2 Kingfish UUVs are typically used for mine countermeasures work, and are typically launched from ships, but they can also be hand-launched by teams in 11m RHIBs. The are based on the REMUS 600. Hydroid received a $36.5 million, 5-year, sole-source award for both types of UUVs from the US Navy. Hydroid will perform work in Massachusetts and the scheduled completion date is in April 2020, if no options are exercised.
November 9/16: Hydroid has won a $7 million US Navy contract for work on the MK18 Kingfish underwater drone. The contract modification exercises a third-year option for engineering support and training services for the Kingfish’s Mod 1 and Mod 2. Offering better endurance and area coverage rates than its Swordfish predecessor, the Kingfish system supports very shallow water missions, very shallow mine countermeasures and underwater object localization tools.
