Autonomous platform helps USMC to reach for the beach
The USMC requires a capability to help provide fuel for expeditionary advanced base operations. (Photo: USMC)
Office of Naval Research picks Martin Defense to develop an Amphibious Vehicle for Unmanned Surface Mobility, which would help to deliver fuel ashore in support of expeditionary advanced base operations.
The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has awarded Martin Defense Group a contract worth up to $14.97 million to develop an Amphibious Vehicle for Unmanned Surface Mobility (AVUSM).
The deal, awarded under a Long Range Broad Agency Announcement for USN and USMC science and technology, covers ‘technology development and maturation’ with the objective of transitioning to USN and/or USMC acquisition programmes, the DoD announced on 6 April.
The ONR envisages AVUSM as autonomously delivering a lay-flat fuel line hose from a floating embarkment platform, through the surf zone, to above a high waterline for fuel delivery in support of USMC expeditionary advanced base operations.
‘This is also known as a Reach-to-the-Beach capability,’ the DoD noted.
Work on the baseline three-year contract is expected to be completed by 5 April 2025 but it could be extended until 2029 if options are exercised.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission]()
SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission
The MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV has set a new endurance benchmark as the US Navy pushes deeper into autonomous maritime warfare.
-
![A closer look at the US Navy’s $268 billion investment in shipbuilding by 2031]()
A closer look at the US Navy’s $268 billion investment in shipbuilding by 2031
The recently released USN 2026 Shipbuilding Plan anticipates the procurement of 185 crewed and uncrewed platforms in the next five years.
-
![SAHA 2026: Turkey markets modular undersea systems to European buyers]()
SAHA 2026: Turkey markets modular undersea systems to European buyers
Turkey’s defence industry is pushing a class of platform and building an entire philosophy of cost-imposition around it.
-
![STM’s European wins strengthen Turkey’s naval credibility on the continent]()
STM’s European wins strengthen Turkey’s naval credibility on the continent
Turkish defence and engineering company STM is attempting to challenge Europe’s established naval primes by winning contracts from Portugal to Pakistan – with a business model built on working in any shipyard in the world.
