Arthur McMiler
The mission systems business of aerospace and defense company General Dynamics will develop the U.S. Navy’s Mining Expendable Delivery Unmanned Submarine Asset, or MEDUSA, under a contract with a base value of $15.9 million for program tasks through September 2026.
The contract provides options for continued development work up to 2032 for a potential total value of $58 million, the Navy’s Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants said Friday.
Contract Award Tasks
Under the competitively awarded contract, the company’s tasks include the design and program management of an expendable unmanned underwater vehicle deployable from a submarine for maritime mining operations. General Dynamics Mission Systems will also perform MEDUSA’s systems engineering, fabrication, tests and submarine integration.
According to SAM.gov, work performance will be at the company’s facilities in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Capt. Matthew Lewis, PEO USC program manager, said the MEDUSA contract award shows the Navy’s commitment to innovation and integrating advanced unmanned technology into its operations to boost fleet readiness. “This contract enables us to invest in future operational capabilities and to push the boundaries of what we thought possible,” he added.
UUV Mining Prototypes
The Navy issued the request for information for MEDUSA in April 2022, stating delivery expectations on four prototypes by fiscal year 2026.
In August, the Navy awarded General Dynamics Mission Systems a cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract worth $20.7 million for the service branch’s Hammerhead Encapsulated Effector for moored anti-submarine mine systems.
