Leidos [LDOS] on Thursday said the Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded the company a potential $95 million task order to manage, operate and maintain the Navy’s Overlord and medium unmanned surface vessels (USVs), business that will expand the company’s experience operating and maintaining USVs.
“Leidos is leading a new era of naval operations,” Gerry Fasano, Defense Group president for Leidos, said in a statement. “The Leidos team has unmatched experience and expertise in autonomous vessel design and operations, delivering four operational medium-sized USV platforms to the Navy so far.”
The company has delivered four operational medium USVs to the Navy: Ranger, Mariner, Sea Hunter, and Seahawk. Leidos is also under contract to the Navy to build and deliver four engineering development model medium unmanned undersea vehicles.
Dave Lewis, senor vice president of Leidos’s Defense Group and Maritime Systems operations manager, said the “task order starts an important phase in the Navy’s evolution of USVs and integrating them into distributed maritime operations. The power of this technology lies in its ability to operate independently and extend the horizon of crewed ships.”
The Overlord boats are being used by the Navy to develop operational concepts for unmanned vessels.
The contract has a one-year base period and two one-year options.