Unmanned Surface Vessel – Second by Textron Systems

Textron Systems successfully demonstrate its second Fleet-class Common Unmanned Surface Vessel (CUSV)

Textron Systems Advanced Systems, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, announce that its second Fleet-class Common Unmanned Surface Vessel (CUSV) completed a successful in-water demonstration in New Orleans following vessel modifications at the Textron Marine & Land Systems (TM&LS) shipyard.

The two Textron Systems operating units recently collaborated on vessel performance enhancements and are preparing to participate in additional capabilities demonstrations for the United States Navy. The team also is pursuing vessel contracts with the U.S. Navy, international navies and other government agencies in the U.S. and overseas.

"The demonstration showed these recent vessel modifications enhance CUSV's already robust capabilities," explains Don Hairston, Textron Systems Advanced Systems senior vice president and general manager. "It's smart business to take full advantage of TM&LS' ship-building knowledge and maritime vessel experience as we move toward production of this important unmanned system."

According to Hairston, if CUSV contracts are awarded to Textron Systems, TM&LS' 300,000-square-foot shipyard in New Orleans will be the site for low-rate initial vessel production. TM&LS would manufacture CUSV hulls, as well as outfit the vessel with engines, drive trains and certain other components.

Designed with a reconfigurable payload bay, CUSV users have the freedom to quickly deploy any payloads necessary to satisfy mission requirements including towing, mine countermeasures, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, communications relay, launch and recovery for unmanned aircraft and underwater systems, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.