U.S. Navy Orders Lionfish UUVs

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today that its Mission Technologies division was awarded a contract to build nine small unmanned undersea vehicles (SUUV) for the U.S. Navy’s Lionfish System program.

The contract has the potential to grow to as many as 200 vehicles over the next five years with a total value of more than $347 million.

Administered by Naval Sea Systems Command, this contract provides for the delivery and support of the Navy’s next generation SUUVs, as well as afloat and auxiliary support equipment and engineering services.

The Lionfish System, based on HII’s REMUS 300, is a portable, two-person SUUV with an open architecture design. In early 2022, REMUS 300 was chosen as the Navy’s official program of record for the next-generation SUUV.

The REMUS 300 UUV’s applications include mine countermeasures, search and recovery, environmental assessment, hydrographic survey, renewables, marine archaeology, offshore oil and gas operations, anti-submarine warfare, and surveillance.

Equipped with a flexible suite of sensors and payloads, it can adapt to a wide range of mission requirements.

Physically, the standard REMUS 300 is 56kg, measures 2.3 meters in length, and has a 19cm diameter. It can dive up to 305m and reach speeds of up to 5 knots.

Its power supply offers flexibility, with options for 1.5kWh, 3kWh, or 4.5kWh lithium-ion batteries, providing endurance from 10 to 30 hours, with recharge times ranging from 6 to 18 hours.

The standard version has a 110km maximum range, while the long-endurance version extends it to 165km.