USN awards autonomous mine countermeasure retrofit contract
USN personnel conduct a Knifefish UUV test. (Photo: USN/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M Brooks)
Five Knifefish UUVs will be retrofitted under a new deal for General Dynamics from the USN.
General Dynamics Mission Systems is retrofitting five Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (SMCM UUV) systems to the Block I configuration, under a $72.80 million sole-source contract from US Naval Sea Systems Command.
The deal also includes engineering support services, the DoD announced on 7 May.
Work will be performed in Quincy, Massachusetts (60%); Greensboro, North Carolina (26%); and Taunton, Massachusetts (14%), and is expected to be completed by April 2023.
Shephard Defence Insight notes that General Dynamics Mission Systems supplies its Knifefish system to the USN under the SMCM UUV programme. The UUV is a medium-class platform designed for deployment from the Littoral Combat Ship.
In July 2020, the DoD awarded General Dynamics a deal worth about $13.5 million for ongoing engineering on Knifefish.
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