Pentagon budget 2025: US Navy seeks more funding for unmanned vessels

The US Navy's FY 2025 budget requests includes funding for unmanned underwater vehicles. (Boeing)

The proposed fiscal year (FY) 2025 US Navy (USN) budget includes USD172.2 million to develop enabling capabilities and critical technologies for unmanned surface vessels (USVs), including funding for medium, large, and long-range vehicles, according to budget documents.

The funding is intended for Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels (MUSVs), Large Unmanned Surface Vessels (LUSVs), and Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessels (LRUSVs) including prototype vessel support.

The FY 2025 request also includes USD191.5 million for the Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) family of systems (FoS), which consists of the small and medium UUV (SUUV/MUUV), Snakehead Large Displacement UUV (LDUUV), and the Orca Extra Large UUV (XLUUV).

The SUVVs/MUUVs include Lionfish and Viperfish, designed to provide better battlespace awareness, and along with the Knifefish, provide mine warfare capability. The Orca XLUUV also provides modular payload capability.

Small and medium UUVs are transitioning from fabrication into testing, Rear Admiral Ben Reynolds, deputy assistant secretary of the navy for budget and director of the USN Fiscal Management Division, noted during an 8 March media briefing of the proposed budget.

Speaking about MUSVs and MUUVs, he said, “I see a lot of progress in both of those.”

LUSVs, though, are being rephased across the FY 2025 budget request five-year Future Years Defense Program (FYDP), which ends in FY 2029, he said.

For more more information on the operational roles of unmanned systems, please see Unmanned systems begin to dominate military operations in Gulf .