Additional XLUUVs in Navy budget request not guaranteed to Boeing

The four additional Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles programmed into the future years of the Navy's latest budget request are not guaranteed to be awarded to Boeing, which ostensibly won a competition last month to develop that vessel, according to the deputy program manager.

The service's fiscal year 2020 budget request shows the Navy procuring two XLUUVs in FY-23 and FY-24. Those vessels will be in addition to five prototypes awarded to Boeing earlier this year.

"The Navy always reserves the right . . . if we wanted to do another full competition at that point," Howard Berkof, deputy program manager for the unmanned maritime systems program office, told Inside Defense in an April 17 interview.

Berkof said the additional four vessels could be procured from Boeing or through a new competitive solicitation that would be open to other contractors.

Around the same time the service plans to procure the additional vessels, XLUUV "may" transition to a program of record, according to the service's budget justification documents.

The budget documents also state the Navy expects to receive the first vehicle by the end of FY-20.