Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the first three mine countermeasures unmanned surface vehicles (MCM USVs) to the U.S. Navy, marking a key milestone as the service transitions from manned mine countermeasures platforms to autonomous surface vessels, a Bollinger press release said.
Built at Bollinger’s Lockport, La., facility, the deliveries represent the Navy’s first program-of-record, non-prototype unmanned surface vessels.
The MCM USV is designed to support minehunting, minesweeping, and mine neutralization operations — missions previously performed by MCM-1 Avenger-class ships and MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters, both of which are being phased out, the shipbuilder said. The use of unmanned platforms allows these high-risk missions to be conducted without putting personnel in mine-threatened waters.
The MCM USV is a multi-mission craft equipped with a suite of modular payload delivery systems (PDS), including minehunting and minesweeping payloads, with mine neutralization systems to follow in future configurations.
The Navy has contracted Bollinger for nine vessels under the current program, with options for up to 18 additional units. All vessels are being built at the Lockport yard.
“Bollinger is proud to deliver the first three full-rate production MCM USVs to the U.S. Navy,” said Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “This milestone demonstrates Bollinger’s ability to deliver highly complex, next-generation capabilities that meet the evolving needs of our naval forces. We’re honored to play a critical role in supporting the Navy’s future force and are proud of our skilled workforce, which makes this possible.”
