The U.S. Navy has selected seven submissions from its new medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) marketplace to advance into a prototype evaluation phase, the service confirmed on May 22, 2026. The decision marks the first major culling in a fast-tracked acquisition model the Navy is using to fold autonomous ships into its "Golden Fleet" push.
Marketplace launched in March, drew two dozen designs
The MUSV marketplace launched in March 2026 and attracted more than two dozen design submissions from industry, Navy spokesman Capt. Ron Flanders told reporters. The Navy did not initially name which seven companies advanced, though Saildrone, which unveiled its Spectre MUSV at the Sea Air Space Exposition in two variants — Silent Endurance and Stealth Strike — has confirmed it submitted a proposal during the first iteration of the marketplace.
"Selected industry partners must successfully complete at-sea demonstrations to prove the maturity of their systems," Flanders said in a written statement. "After successful at-sea demonstrations prior to October 2026, the Navy plans to work with industry to have vessels available for Navy leasing or procurement in fiscal year 2027."
Strict performance and payload requirements
Designs that move into prototype evaluation must demonstrate a vessel capable of traveling 2,500 nautical miles at 25 knots in sea state 4 while outfitted with a 25 metric ton load on the payload deck. The reference payload must accommodate at least two 40-foot shipping containers, allowing operators to swap in mission packages spanning intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare and logistics.
Funding for the marketplace stems from roughly $2.1 billion earmarked for MUSVs in the budget reconciliation package that passed in July 2025. The Navy has paired that money with an unusually industry-led acquisition model run through the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS), which favors firms able to field mature designs over those still in early prototyping.
Part of the Golden Fleet acquisition pivot
The MUSV marketplace was unveiled in March by Rebecca Gassler, the PAE for robotic and autonomous systems, as a replacement for the canceled Maritime Autonomous Strike Capability (MASC) effort. The new model is designed to give the Navy a flexible procurement path aligned with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle's "Fighting Instructions" guidance issued in February.
"There's a number of missions that we could immediately use these vessels for," Gassler said in March. "That is part of the strategy now, is that we will now have a skillful way to procure vessels that meet specific mission profiles."
Where MUSVs fit alongside other unmanned platforms
The Navy's MUSV push complements a wider portfolio of unmanned maritime systems already moving through development and concept stages. Recent reveals include Navantia's LASV75 uncrewed warship concept for hybrid navies and Klein's MANTIS underwater drone for mine-hunting, while the Pentagon's broader autonomy push includes orders for 200,000 small drones and a 1,775% jump in AI use across the DoD.
If the at-sea demonstrations hold to schedule, the Navy could move from selection in May to operational lease or procurement of multiple MUSV designs inside about 18 months — a pace that, in normal Navy acquisition terms, would represent one of the fastest paths from solicitation to ship in recent memory.
Reporting based on coverage from Breaking Defense and USNI News.