The final Navy Overlord Unmanned Surface Vessel, the Vanguard (OUSV3), was recently launched from shipbuilder Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala., the Navy said on Jan. 11.
The Vanguard is being built by Austal USA under prime contractor for the Navy L3Harris Technologies [LHX].
While the Vanguard is technically the third of four OUSVs, it includes purpose-built changes over the other vessels and is the fourth to be completed.
“We are excited to see the progress the L3Harris and Austal teams are making on the construction of Vanguard. Designed and built as a USV from the beginning, Vanguard will bring new, built-in capabilities that our previous OUSVs did not possess,” Capt. Scot Searles, program manager of the Unmanned Maritime Systems (PMS 406) program office, said in a statement.
In 2022, Rear Adm. Casey Moton, then-Program Executive Officer for Unmanned and Small Combatants, told reporters the Vanguard was changed to increase the craft’s length from 194 to 205 feet to allow heavier payloads and more fuel (Defense Daily, Aug. 24, 2022).
The OUSVs are built from one commercial design but with different hull, mechanical and engineering (HM&E) systems and different mission systems.
At the time, a Navy official said each OUSV is using different competing commercial sensors to determine the best fit for the future Large USV.
Once the companies finish outfitting and testing, the Vanguard will transit to San Diego, largely autonomously, to join its sister ships Ranger (OUSV2) and Mariner (OUSV4) at Navy’s Unmanned Surface Vessel Division (USVDIV)-1. USDIV-1 is the Surface Navy organization conducting experimentation and tactical development on USVs.
USDIV1 also operates the Sea Hunter and Seahawk USVs.
Separately, 3rd Fleet completed Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 23.2, the Pacific Fleet’s third multi-domain unmanned capabilities exercise with USDIV-1.
IBP started in August 2023 off the coast of Southern California with Mariner, Ranger, Seahawk and Sea Hunter traveling a combined 46,651 nautical miles, largely using autonomous control. The vessels visited ports in Australia and Japan during this exercise.
IBP aimed to test, develop and evaluate unmanned concepts of operations to be used for future fleet operations.
While sailing in the Western Pacific, the USVs integrated with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Royal Australian Navy, U.S. Carrier Strike Group 1, III Marine Expeditionary Force and independently deployed ships in the 7th Fleet area of operations.
The Navy noted USDIV-1 participated in the U.S. Large Scale Exercise in August 2023 and the Royal Australian Navy’s Autonomous Warrior exercise in November.
“Through analysis, simulation, prototyping, and demonstration, exercises like IBP 23.2 advance manned-unmanned teaming to support traditional capabilities in the Indo-Pacific,” U.S. Vice Adm. Michael Boyle, commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet, said in a statement.