HII Delivers First Lionfish SUUVs to U.S. Navy, Boosting Advanced Autonomous Undersea Warfare Capabilities
Leading American shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) delivered two Lionfish Small Uncrewed Undersea Vehicles (SUUVs) as their first production models to the U.S. Navy. The delivery represents a crucial development in improving the undersea warfare capabilities of the U.S. Navy today. The Lionfish SUUVs originate from HII’s REMUS 300 platform design that implements an open-architecture modular construction for diverse mission functions. These underwater drones operate with cyber security compliance to execute various Navy missions spanning from mine countermeasures to intelligence gathering and surveillance to reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare duties.
The Lionfish program was jointly developed together with the U.S. Navy and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to expedite the merging of advanced commercial tech into military operational frameworks. The Department of Defense aims to achieve strategic advantages through dual-use technology integration. HII received a Navy Lionfish System program contract in October 2023 to create nine SUUVs while possessing options to build up to 200 vehicles throughout a five year contract period. The overall worth of this contract will probably surpass $347 million because it demonstrates substantial long-term support for novel defense technologies.
The Lionfish utilizes HII’s REMUS 300 platform to deliver a platform with Navy-specific systems and secure communications through its modular open-architecture design. The Lionfish SUUV reaches speeds of 5 knots with a depth capability of 305 meters and operates for 30 hours by using its lithium-ion battery modules that can be configured for different deployment times. The rapid deployment feature of Lionfish allows it to function from small boats and submarines before launching into naval operations for distributed maritime support.
The successful on-time delivery of this system enabled HII Uncrewed Systems’ president Duane Fotheringham to emphasize how vital the program’s capability becomes for maintaining the necessary mine-hunting capabilities of sailors and marines. The production of Lionfish occurs at HII’s Uncrewed Systems facility in Pocasset, Massachusetts . More than 700 units of the REMUS platform have been delivered to thirty countries and fourteen NATO allies while maintaining an operational rate of over ninety percent.
With these advanced undersea vehicles, which incorporate advanced capabilities and cyber-security measures and modularity, the U.S. Navy will improve distributed lethality capabilities combined with autonomous operations and operational effectiveness through contested maritime areas.