US Navy orders more uncrewed minehunters from Bollinger

The U.S. Navy has awarded Bollinger Shipyards a $65.7 million contract modification for the continued production of Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Surface Vehicles (MCM USVs), the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.

The new contract includes engineering updates and additional construction of these uncrewed vessels designed to operate in hazardous, mine-infested waters.

According to the DoD release, work will take place at multiple U.S. locations including Lockport, Louisiana; Portsmouth, Virginia; Columbus, Indiana; and Slidell, Louisiana, with completion expected by September 2028. The Naval Sea Systems Command, based in Washington, D.C., is overseeing the project.

Fiscal 2024 and 2025 procurement funds, totaling more than $65 million, have been obligated for the effort.

Bollinger Shipyards, headquartered in Lockport, Louisiana, previously announced on April 4 that it had delivered the first three MCM USVs to the Navy. These represent the service’s first full-rate production autonomous surface vessels and mark a major shift in how the Navy plans to conduct mine countermeasures missions.

“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.”

The MCM USVs are designed to replace manned MCM-1 Avenger-class ships and MH-53E helicopters, both of which are being phased out. The uncrewed vessels will take on minehunting, minesweeping, and mine neutralization roles. They are equipped with Payload Delivery Systems (PDSs) capable of operating current and future mine warfare payloads.