Officials at The U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) in San Diego have awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems (GDRS) in Westminster, Md., an $8.5 million contract for two Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) for the Littoral Combat Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare Mission Module. The total value of the contract, if all options are exercised, is $11.3 million. General Dynamics Robotic Systems is a part of General Dynamics Land Systems (Sterling Heights, Mich.), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.

General Dynamics will provide as many as four autonomous USVs by adapting its vehicle command and control system to the unmanned surface vehicle domain. The USV will employ towed arrays, dipping sonar sensors, and acoustic sources as payloads to carry out its Anti-Submarine Warfare mission.

“Sensor-driven automated maritime situation awareness is the critical technology that will enable autonomous USVs for Navy missions,” says Scott Myers, GDRS president. “General Dynamics’ ability to transition technology we are developing for the Army’s autonomous mobility systems to the USV was an important factor in the Navy selecting us for USV development.

“The General Dynamics design integrates a suite of surveillance sensors that will support safe high-speed autonomous mobility and 360-degree situation awareness,” Myers says.

General Dynamics’ teammates include Navatek Ltd., Micro-Analysis and Design, Signal Systems Corp., International Logistics Systems, and Chesapeake Sciences Corp.