The Insider

Army selects Lockheed's Spike NLOS system for first phase of M-LRPSM competition
By Dan Schere
August 26, 2025 at 4:25 PM

The Army has selected Lockheed Martin's Spike Non-Line-of-Sight capability for the first phase of its new Mobile-Long Range Precision Strike Missile directed requirement competition, the company announced today.

Gen. James Rainey, the commander of Army Futures Command, approved a directed requirement for M-LRPSM two years ago this month. The missile is designed to defeat stationary and defilade armor troops, “field fortifications and urban structures,” while achieving a range of more than 25 kilometers, according to the Army.

The Army had planned to spend $93 million across the future years defense program from fiscal year 2024 through FY-28 to develop the M-LRPSM program, according to an FY-24 Pentagon prior approval omnibus reprogramming. However, the Army recently told Inside Defense that the costs across the FYDP are changing based on “vendor pricing submissions.”

The Spike NLOS system will be used in the first phase of the contract to develop and test a prototype that will be used by Infantry Brigade Combat Teams, according to Lockheed.

Lockheed recently conducted a Spike NLOS demonstration at Dugway Proving Grounds, UT, in which three shots directly hit “one unobstructed and two obstructed targets,” according to the company. The shots were launched from a ground vehicle and engaged with “targets without a direct line of sight.”

The Spike NLOS system has already been “qualified” under the Army’s current Long Range Precision Munitions Directed Requirement on the AH-64E Apache helicopter, according to Lockheed.

Casey Walsh, Lockheed’s Multi-Domain Missile Systems program director, said in a statement that the “matured Spike NLOS system provides the U.S. Army with an advanced defense solution that delivers direct-strike and long-range capability in combat operations where maneuverability, reconnaissance and security matter most.”

A second phase of the competition will include safety confirmation testing and the “further down selection to a limited number of competitors,” according to Lockheed.

Army wants to incorporate autonomy into terrain-shaping missions
By Dominic Minadeo
August 26, 2025 at 2:19 PM

The Army is looking to leverage autonomy to place and recover terrain-shaping obstacles across the battlefield as "dull, dirty, dangerous jobs" are becoming the best-use cases for robots in brigade combat teams, according to the command sergeant major at the service's Futures and Concepts Center.

“I think anything sustainment, and I think anything terrain-shaping, breaching, I think those would be the two categories that . . . provide a lot of opportunity quickly to save soldiers’ lives,” Command Sgt. Maj. William Justice said during an Aug. 13 warfighter panel at the National Defense Industrial Association’s annual ground vehicle symposium in Michigan.

That same day, the Army, in partnership with the United Kingdom, put out a request for white papers seeking feedback from companies on developing a modular, terrain-shaping capability for ground forces at the BCT level.

BCTs use terrain-shaping obstacles, like landmines, on defense to upset, slow down or channel enemy formations into “engagement areas,” according to the Army -- on offense they can isolate targets, mitigate enemy repositioning or halt counterattacks.

The Army and the United Kingdom, which is playing an advisory role in the market research process, want industry to report back on modern and future technologies that can help the service develop requirements for a network-enabled system of systems for terrain shaping, with production planned by 2030, according to the request for information.

The Army RFI lays out four capability areas for feedback in support of the system of systems:

  • Autonomous emplacement and recovery: The capability should be able to autonomously navigate the battlefield to “deliver, emplace and recover” obstacles within line of sight or beyond line of sight.
  • Obstacle effectiveness: The fields of obstacles employed should be able to take out enemy tanks and vehicles using kinetic effects, like deployable payloads, and non-kinetic effects, like electronic warfare.
  • Obstacle command and control: The terrain-shaping obstacles should tap into the Army’s existing command and control capabilities and be operated by a single controller.
  • Obstacle planning: The capability should enable obstacle operation plans to be conducted from the ground, in vehicles or at command posts.

Companies are asked to give their technical approach to the capability, highlight potential risks and plans to mitigate them, projected costs and their past experience with the Defense Department, the RFI says.

Responses are due Oct. 17, according to the Army.

The INSIDER daily digest -- August 26, 2025
By John Liang
August 26, 2025 at 1:49 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Air Force autonomous cargo missions, the Space Force's Cobra Dane radar, the Navy's rapid capability development efforts and more.

Reliable Robotics, under a newly awarded contract, will be responsible for integrating its Reliable Autonomy System onto a Cessna 208B Caravan and will perform unmanned cargo missions on behalf of the Air Force between 2026 and 2027:

Reliable Robotics to perform autonomous cargo missions for USAF under new contract

The Air Force has awarded software firm Reliable Robotics a $17.4 million contract to automate cargo logistics, the company announced today.

In an Aug. 25 request for information, the Space Force seeks industry input "on capabilities and methods to modernize portions of the COBRA DANE Ground Based Radar located at Eareckson Air Station (EAS), Shemya Island, Alaska":

Pentagon moves to modernize Alaska's Cobra Dane radar in nearly $1 billion effort

The Pentagon has begun charting the course for a sweeping overhaul of one of its oldest and most sensitive radars, issuing a solicitation that seeks industry input on modernizing the Cobra Dane system on Shemya Island, AK.

Document: Space Force Cobra Dane modernization RFI

A June 25 Modernized Selected Acquisition Report, cleared for publication on Aug. 20, discusses the Air Force's B-52 Radar Modernization Program program:

B-52 Radar Modernization now costing $14M per tail, breaching Nunn-McCurdy

Costs for the B-52 Radar Modernization Program now tops $14.35 million per tail, according to a recently released updated selected acquisition report, reflecting 20% growth from the original baseline of $11.96 million.

Document: DOD modernized SAR on the Air Force's B-52 RMP program

The Navy aims to consolidate development efforts under a single entity responsible for identifying and fielding multidomain capabilities within a three-year timeline using established development processes, acquisition pathways and contracting authorities:

Navy establishing new office to centralize rapid capability development efforts

The Navy is establishing a Naval Rapid Capabilities Office (NRCO) intended to accelerate the development and fielding of new systems to meet urgent operational needs, according to an Aug. 19 memo from Navy Secretary John Phelan, obtained by Inside Defense.

A recent Defense Department inspector general report finds the Army "did not effectively manage the M88 recovery vehicle spare parts inventory":

IG tells Army to keep a better eye on spare parts after M88 audit

The Army ineffectively managed the parts inventory for its heavy recovery vehicle after maintaining both spare parts that weren't in demand and ones that exceeded demand while shortchanging its supply of certain essential spares, the Pentagon's watchdog says.

Document: DOD IG report on Army M88 recovery vehicle spare parts management

Inside Defense interviewed Eureka Naval Craft's CEO about unmanned surface vessels:

Eureka CEO touts Aircat Bengal MC as Navy eyes new unmanned vessel

As the Navy begins its search for a new medium unmanned surface vessel, Eureka Naval Craft CEO Bo Jardine wants the company's Aircat Bengal MC to stand out as a leading candidate.

DIU Director Doug Beck exits post
By Theresa Maher
August 25, 2025 at 6:56 PM

(Editor's Note: This has been updated to include a statement from DIU confirming Doug Beck's departure.)

Doug Beck, the former Apple executive helming the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit since April 2023, is leaving, according to multiple reports.

DIU released a statement Tuesday confirming Beck's departure, noting Emil Michael, DOD's chief technology officer, has assumed the role of acting director, while Michael Dodd has been appointed as the acting deputy director.

"Together, both are laser-focused on driving innovation and enhancing the Department’s ability to deliver groundbreaking commercial technologies to empower the American warfighter," DIU said.

Beck’s appointment as DIU director more than two years ago came at a significant time for the Defense Department’s innovation and commercial engagement office -- coinciding with a directive from then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that elevated Beck’s team and gave him a direct line to the Pentagon chief’s office. Prior to that, DIU reported to the under secretary of defense for research and engineering.

The start of Beck’s tenure heading DIU signaled a sort of homecoming -- he helmed the joint reserve component for the Replicator “engine room” from 2015 through 2019 before becoming vice president at Apple, where he had been working since 2009.

Beck’s departure comes on the heels of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin announcing his departure, although that won’t take effect until November. DOD has seen a number of very high-profile officials leaving in the early days of the second Trump administration.

New $635 million GOCO facility to scale up 155mm munitions production
By Dominic Minadeo
August 25, 2025 at 5:09 PM

The Army is partnering with a European defense group on a $635 million deal to stand up a modernized 155mm production facility at Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, IA, the service announced recently.

The load, assemble and pack (LAP) facility, coined the Future Artillery Complex, will harness advanced manufacturing like robotics and automation to help the Army churn out 36,000 155mm rounds each month, according to an Aug. 20 release from the contract winner, MSM North America, a subsidiary of the Czechoslovak Group (CSG).

“This is a tremendous success, made unique by the fact that the trust was given to a company that is part of a European defense industry group,” Michal Strnad, owner and chairman of the board of CSG, said in a statement. “This project is proof of CSG’s global reach and its ability to contribute to strengthening the defense readiness of our allies.”

The group expects the contract to lead to more opportunities for MSM North America in the United States market and “is expected to be the primary source” for the Army’s LAP requirements, according to CSG.

The government-owned, contractor-operated factory is another Army investment to try and scale up 155mm production to its eventual goal of 100,000 rounds per month, the progress of which has been delayed and warrants the need for multiple plants, the service acknowledged last month.

“Modernizing the industrial base and replacing critical munition stockpiles are high priorities for the Defense Department,” Maj. Gen. John Reim, joint program executive officer for armaments and ammunition, said. “Projects like the FAC are geared to improve the Army’s ability to scale production between surge and down times while also providing flexible capacity to produce future go-to-war rounds.”

The Army pulled funds from fiscal year 2024 and FY-25 ammunition procurement budgets to invest in the project, according to the Aug. 15 contract announcement.

That comes on the heels of congressional urgency to boost the Army’s OIB capacity, with Senate authorizers, in their FY-26 defense policy bill, directing the service to set up a new production line for a load and pack munitions facility.

It also comes after the Army partnered with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in April on a new LAP facility in Camden, AR, which is designed to host two 155mm projectile production lines that will put out 50,000 rounds per month at full operational capacity.

Work on the facility is expected to finish in August of 2029, with full production involving 70 manufacturing employees kicking off the following month in September.

The INSIDER daily digest -- August 25, 2025
By John Liang
August 25, 2025 at 1:44 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a major Pentagon acquisition reform memo, plus the expected release date of the Defense Department's $150 billion reconciliation spending plan and more.

A new Defense Department memo "directs a significant reform of DOD's process for joint requirements determination":

Pentagon kills JCIDS in sweeping reform, launches new board to tie requirements directly to money

The Pentagon, in one of the biggest shifts in requirements-setting in two decades, is scrapping the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) -- long criticized as slow and bureaucratic -- and creating a new senior board to tie military requirements directly to budgets and accelerate technology delivery to the battlefield, according to a memo obtained by Inside Defense.​

Document: DOD memo on joint requirements reform

In related budget news, multiple congressional sources said DOD told lawmakers the government's reconciliation plan would arrive next month, possibly the first week of September when Congress returns from its summer break to consider, among other things, the annual defense authorization bill:

DOD's $150B reconciliation spending plan expected in September

The Defense Department has told the House and Senate Armed Services committees to expects its reconciliation spending plan in September, missing an Aug. 22 deadline set by lawmakers after they sent the Pentagon detailed "guidance tables" intended to show congressional intent for how the funds should be used.

Inside Defense interviewed Eureka Naval Craft's CEO about unmanned surface vessels:

Eureka CEO touts Aircat Bengal MC as Navy eyes new unmanned vessel

As the Navy begins its search for a new medium unmanned surface vessel, Eureka Naval Craft CEO Bo Jardine wants the company's Aircat Bengal MC to stand out as a leading candidate.

The Air Force on Aug. 15 issued a request for information regarding the Next Generation Air-Refueling System airframe, but the actual parameters of its requirements are not available publicly:

Air Force opens forum to discuss next-generation tanker airframe ideas

The Air Force is asking industry to provide input about the airframe for the Next Generation Air-Refueling System as the service considers whether to pursue the program at all or simply add enhancements to the existing tanker fleet.

The Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (JDETO) is ramping up its investments in cutting-edge components for directed energy weapon systems (DEWS) to unlock the technology’s advanced capabilities:

Pentagon seeks quick-turning mirrors for directed-energy beam targeting

The Defense Department's top office for directed-energy technology is seeking private-sector solutions supporting fast-steering mirrors capable of handling and directing beams from directed-energy weapon systems, per a public notice issued yesterday.

Caudle sworn in as 34th CNO
By Nick Wilson
August 25, 2025 at 12:05 PM

Adm. Daryl Caudle has officially taken the helm as chief of naval operations after an assumption-of-office ceremony held this morning in Washington.

Caudle becomes the 34th CNO, filling the Navy’s top-ranking uniformed officer position, which has stood vacant for six months since previous CNO Adm. Lisa Franchetti was fired without explanation in February. Vice CNO Adm. James Kilby has been performing the duties of the office in the interim.

Caudle is a career submariner who most recently led U.S. Fleet Forces Command and has in the past served as the head of Naval Submarine Forces and Naval Submarine Force Atlantic. He was nominated for the CNO post in June and sailed through a non-contentious Senate confirmation hearing last month.

In a video message posted today and addressed to the fleet, Caudle outlined several of his day-one priorities including ensuring operational readiness, improving shipbuilding and maintenance performance and adopting technologies like artificial intelligence and uncrewed systems.

The week ahead
By Tony Bertuca
August 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM

Senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak about emerging technologies at a major defense industry association event this week.

Tuesday

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion on the future of naval aviation.

Wednesday

The National Defense Industrial Association hosts its annual Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference and Exhibition in Washington. The event runs through Friday and will feature several senior Pentagon officials.

The Mitchell Institute hosts Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara.

Friday

The Mitchell Institute hosts an event on "Fifth- and Sixth-Generation Aircraft in Disaggregated Collaborative Air Operations."

X-37B spaceplane launches for eighth experimental mission
By Shelley K. Mesch
August 22, 2025 at 2:45 PM

The Space Force launched its X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle late last night for its eighth mission, sending the spaceplane to run a slate of experiments on next-generation technologies.

The Boeing-made spaceplane will run tests on laser communications and “the highest-performing quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space,” according to a Space Force news release posted ahead of the launch.

The X-37B launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center, FL at 11:50 p.m., the service stated. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman in a post on X said the “unmanned spaceplane successfully reached its intended orbit.”

The technology being tested, Saltzman said in a separate post, could be used to provide “more efficient and secure satellite communications” and improve navigation in contested environments with positioning, navigation and timing capabilities through the quantum inertial censor.

“The mission is about more than innovation,” he wrote. “It’s about making our Joint Force more connected, more resilient and ready to operate in the face of any challenge. That’s how America’s Space Force secures our Nation’s interests in, from and to space.”

The launch comes less than six months after the X-37B completed its seventh mission. During that mission -- which ended March 7 with the vehicle’s landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA -- the spaceplane tested a first-of-its-kind aerobraking maneuver to change orbits while saving propellant, according to a Boeing news release.

"Having a returnable space platform allows us to learn faster," said Col. Brian Chatman, installation commander for Space Launch Delta 45. "The data we gather from the X-37B speeds decisions, hardens our architectures and helps Guardians stay connected and on course even in contested environments. This is how we move from promising ideas to fieldable capability at pace."

The INSIDER daily digest -- August 22, 2025
By John Liang
August 22, 2025 at 1:49 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Air Force One modernization, the Pentagon's Replicator initiative and more.

We start off with the latest Air Force One modernization news:

Air Force One to get a new color scheme under Trump administration

The Air Force is changing its exterior color requirements for the VC-25B presidential airlift replacement platform, Inside Defense has learned, likely switching back to the Trump administration's preferred red, white and dark blue.

From when he started in late 2023 until his departure, former Replicator-1 Director T.S. Allen said the DIU team delivered hundreds of drones to warfighters and had put thousands more on contract:

Former Replicator-1 chief says 'mission accomplished' amid mass drone fielding deadline

The Defense Department has reached the deadline set two years ago to procure multiple thousands of all-domain, autonomous and "attritable" drones through the Replicator initiative, and the Defense Innovation Unit's former director for the project said when he left a few months ago, the goal was on track to be met.

Inside Defense interviewed Lt. Gen. David Tabor, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for plans and programs this week:

Air Force wants Congress to increase fighter inventory minimum, change parameters

The Air Force wants to invigorate its fighter aircraft stockpile by changing the legal language used to categorize battle-ready jets, according to a recent legislative proposal that would also retire all remaining A-10 Warthogs.

The latest cyber defense news from our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity:

CMMC accreditation body stands up third-party assessment advisory council

The accreditation body behind the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program has launched a new advisory council made up of individuals from authorized certified third-party assessment organizations to inform future work.

Microsoft outlines strategy for full transition to post-quantum cryptography by 2033

Microsoft is launching a strategy to prepare for the looming risks of quantum computing with a "security-first mindset," including a full transition to post-quantum cryptography two years ahead of the government's 2035 deadline for federal agencies.

The INSIDER daily digest -- August 21, 2025
By John Liang
August 21, 2025 at 2:23 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Space Force's Ground Based Radar Digitization initiative, the Army's Common Tactical Truck, the Navy reducing its civilian public affairs workforce and more.

Officials say the Ground Based Radar Digitization, or GBRD, initiative will extend the life of Cold War-era systems while improving performance against modern threats:

Space Force floats new sensor modernization initiative: Ground Based Radar Digitization

The Defense Department is seeking industry input on a sweeping effort to digitize the six ground-based radar sites that serve as the backbone of U.S. long-range missile detection.

Some Army Common Tactical Truck news:

Army will reserve the right to repair its Common Tactical Truck

The Army is surveying industry on its Common Tactical Truck program in advance of a request for proposals that will include a provision permitting service members to patch up the rig themselves.

The Navy is looking to reduce its public affairs civilian workforce:

SECNAV directs workforce reduction plan for civilian public affairs

Navy Secretary John Phelan plans to reduce his service’s civilian public affairs staff by 35%, according to an Aug. 7 memo that gives the Navy chief of information office 45 days to deliver a personnel reduction plan.

Document: SECNAV memo on reducing CHINFO civilian workforce

A new Defense Department inspector general's report assesses "the effectiveness of the Air Force’s integration of data license rights into contract requirements for selected weapon systems":

IG: Air Force not doing enough to obtain IP and data rights

The Air Force needs to do more to ensure it is obtaining intellectual property and data rights for contractor-made weapon systems if it wants to maintain technological superiority and preserve security interests, the Pentagon's watchdog reported.

Document: DOD IG audit of data license rights in Air Force weapon system contracts

The Army is still figuring out the eventual cost of a new-start missile program:

New Mobile-Long Range Precision Strike Missile costs changing based on vendor pricing

The costs of the new Mobile-Long Range Precision Strike Missile across the five-year future years defense program (FYDP) are changing based on "vendor pricing submissions," according to an Army spokesperson.

Army awards Sikorsky $43M contract to equip Black Hawk with digital backbone
By Dan Schere
August 21, 2025 at 11:21 AM

The Army has awarded Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky a $43 million contract to equip the Black Hawk helicopter with a "digital backbone" capability that will allow for unmanned systems to be integrated, the company announced Wednesday.

The contract will also include enhancement of the helicopter’s airframe as well as development of requirements and architecture “using model-based systems engineering,” according to a company press release.

The digital backbone will support a Modular Open System Approach, which will include developing advanced systems and software, and “rapid capability insertion to quickly respond to future platform mission needs,” according to Sikorsky.

Ultimately, Sikorsky anticipates the upgrades will give the Black Hawk the ability to carry more payload at greater range and incorporate other capabilities such as autonomy and AI to help pilots.

Lockheed is working with the Army to deliver a “federated” Launched Effects capability that will be integrated with the Black Hawk in 2026, the company said in its news release. That timeline coincides with the service’s goal of integrating Launched Effects and UAS into every division by the end of that year, as part of its transformation initiative.

The Army’s current multiyear contract for the Black Hawk is set to sunset in fiscal year 2026. As of last month, the service had not decided whether it would pursue another multiyear for the helicopter beyond FY-26, although Senate authorizers are encouraging them to do so.

Grid Aero launches with cargo drones designed for logistics in Indo-Pacific fight
By Vanessa Montalbano
August 20, 2025 at 3:20 PM

The Air Force's small business innovation arm and startup Grid Aero are teaming up to test the company's autonomous cargo drones to carry "thousands of pounds for thousands of miles," according to a press release the company issued Monday.

“We’re building the pickup truck of the skies,” Grid Aero CEO Arthur Dubois said in a statement about the company’s effort through AFWERX. “This is a rugged, mission-flexible aircraft that combines autonomy with tough, modular hardware. The shift from massive, expensive platforms to distributed fleets of smart, affordable systems is long overdue -- and essential for the future of global logistics.”

Grid Aero’s Lifter-Lite aircraft was designed and built in just six months, the company said. The platform was unveiled on Aug. 18 alongside $6 million in seed funding and a small business innovation research Phase II contract with AFWERX.

The concept behind the cargo drone is “to address the tactical logistics challenges of distributed operations in a contested environment” like the Indo-Pacific, the company said, adding that traditional military logistic platforms are less affordable and becoming increasingly vulnerable.

For the Air Force, the ability to deploy an affordable mass of autonomous cargo drones might help solve the logistics challenges of Agile Combat Employment -- the Air Force’s schema to disperse airmen and assets around hub and spoke installations in hostile environments.

“The awarded contract reflects the need for affordable, scalable, autonomous cargo solutions that can operate reliably in contested and denied environments where traditional military logistics platforms face significant risks,” Grid Aero said in its news release.

The INSIDER daily digest -- August 20, 2025
By John Liang
August 20, 2025 at 2:18 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the White House's nascent effort to scrub and streamline decades of federal acquisition regulations -- which would impact DOD -- and more.

The "Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Overhaul" directs federal agencies, including DOD, to eliminate one-third of the requirements from future contracts that are not mandated by statute or executive orders and "have little to do with contract outcomes":

Latest White House regulation overhaul to impact DOD procurement

The White House's new effort to scrub and streamline decades of federal acquisition regulations has begun to take shape, with key reforms poised to impact the Defense Department as the U.S. government's largest buyer of goods and services.

A new proposed radar system would provide long-range detection of cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons and other evolving dangers that could approach the homeland from the south:

Pentagon seeks southern radar by 2028 to eliminate blind spot, counter advanced threats

The Pentagon has launched an effort to quickly field a new radar in the southeastern United States to protect the nation from advanced air and missile threats, aiming for an initial capability by 2028.

This year’s Schriever Wargame Capstone focused heavily on international partnerships:

Space Force, partners test 'notional technologies' in international wargame

The Space Force, along with partner nations, is assessing how five "notional technologies" will affect future warfare during this year's Schriever Wargame Capstone, a campaign set 10 years in the future, according to officials.

The Joint Directed Energy Consortium -- a group of nontraditional defense contractors, research and academic institutions -- would use alternative contracting vehicles to spur faster access to the commercial sector and support rapid development of directed energy capabilities for military use:

DOD wants new industry group to access directed energy

The Defense Department is looking to establish a group of entities across industry and academia to accelerate government access to directed-energy capabilities for military applications, per a solicitation issued Friday.

Document: DOD request for prototype proposals for directed-energy technologies

The Pentagon has realigned the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) under the under secretary of defense for research and engineering:

Pentagon AI office shifts from deputy secretary's direct oversight to tech chief

The Defense Department's digital and artificial intelligence office, previously reporting directly to the deputy defense secretary, will now fall under authority of the Pentagon's research and technology chief, following an organizational shift ordered by Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg.

Document: DOD memo on realigning CDAO office

Navy seeking two new offshore support craft for training and testing needs
By Nick Wilson
August 20, 2025 at 12:08 PM

The Navy is interested in buying two new offshore support vessels for test and training purposes, according to a request for information that lists the launch of torpedoes, unmanned systems and small boats as a primary use for the desired OSVs.

Issued this week by the Navy’s boats and crafts program office (PMS-300), the notice seeks prospective vessel construction and acquisition managers in addition to the two OSVs, described as “ocean-going vessels to meet the test and training needs of the fleet.”

In addition to launching USVs and other Navy assets, routine operations for the notional OSVs include underwater range maintenance and the embarkation of various cargo including target launch and recovery systems. The vessels must be capable of sustained operations for up to 30 days.

Though the Navy is seeking similar capabilities in the two OSVs -- including deck cranes and an identical range and speed -- it wants the vessels to be different sizes with some design variations.

The first OSV is labeled “small” with a desired length of 200 feet, 3,600 square feet of clear deck space and accommodations for a 22-person crew. This smaller vessel must be capable of integrating a government-furnished, 21-inch torpedo tube at its bow for use testing heavyweight torpedoes.

The second “large” vessel has a desired length of 260 feet with 6,300 square feet of clear deck space and accommodations for a 28-person crew.

The Navy aims to leverage a proven commercial design with modifications for mission requirements, the notice states. Responses to the notice are due Sept. 15.