Mk 18 Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Systems

May 1, 2023

Huntington Ingalls Industries
Newport News, VA
757-688-3220
www.hii.com

The Navy announced a significant milestone in the delivery of unmanned undersea warfighting capability to the fleet. Production of the MK 18 Mod 2 Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) program of record has completed.

Managed by the Expeditionary Missions program office under the Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC), the MK 18 Mod 2 UUV program began production in 2012 through competitively awarded contracts with Hydroid, Inc. in Pocasset, Massachusetts (now owned by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)). Since the initial production lot, more than 90 MK 18 Mod 2 UUV vehicles have been provided to the fleet.

“The Department’s long-standing partnership with HII and their subcontractors demonstrates how mature technologies coupled with innovative acquisition approaches can speed the delivery of critical mission-enabling capabilities to our warfighting forces,” said Capt. Jon Haase, Program Manager of the Expeditionary Missions program office (PMS 408).

The MK 18 Mod 2 UUVs form a critical component in the Navy’s suite of Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures (ExMCM) Company’s mission capabilities. ExMCM forces provide a rapid, world-wide mine countermeasure response capability that supports Joint Force maneuver in various maritime mission areas. In July 2022, the Navy awarded the Medium Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (MUUV) contract to Leidos to design, test, and manufacture the next generation ExMCM MUUV, known as Viperfish. Viperfish will improve upon the current MK18 Mod 2 UUVs by providing increased ExMCM capabilities.

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This article first appeared in the May, 2023 issue of Aerospace & Defense Technology Magazine.

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