Textron Systems has just unveiled its new Multi Mission Uncrewed Surface Vessel (MMUSV), an upscaled version of the drone it already supplies to the U.S. Navy for minesweeping.
As per a press statement, the larger MMUSV offers longer range and enhanced endurance, and its 280sq ft reconfigurable payload bay has been designed for missions including surface warfare, mine countermeasures (MCM), intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and signals intelligence (SIGINT).
Textron says the new drone can operate in conditions up to Sea State 4 (waves of up to 2.5 metres) and can survive Sea State 5 (up to 4 metres).
The firm was handed the Low-Cost Unmanned Maritime Solution (Large) award in August last year for the development, testing and delivery of the platform by Expeditionary Mission Consortium-Crane (EMC2), a collaborative group promoting research for the U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division.
It hands out Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) to rapidly develop advanced tech for expeditionary warfare.
Senior Vice President of Air, Land and Sea Systems at Textron David Phillips commented: “As an industry leader in USVs, Textron Systems has spent the last three decades at the forefront of autonomous system innovation.”
He added: “The scalability of our systems ensures that the MMUSV, the next advancement in our lineup, provides enhanced mission capabilities rapidly and efficiently.”
Textron Systems built the CUSV, an uncrewed mine countermeasures (MCM) platform for the U.S. Navy, dubbed Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS). It also supports the service’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) MCM capabilities.
This includes its current Mine Sweep Payload Delivery Systems (PDS) package, and developing a next-generation payload called Magnetic and Acoustic Generation Next Unmanned Superconducting Sweep (MAGNUSS).
- You can read more details on the Textron website