Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles

The Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (LUUV) Program (PE 0604031N) is a Navy research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) initiative focused on advancing large unmanned undersea vehicle technologies to maintain and enhance undersea superiority. The program's primary objectives are to develop, prototype, and demonstrate large UUVs with increased endurance, payload capacity, and modularity compared to smaller UUV classes. These vehicles are intended to be deployed from various platforms, including vessels of opportunity and piers, to support a wide range of undersea missions.

The Snakehead Large Displacement Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (LDUUV) Program was originally the Navy's flagship effort under this line item. Its goals included developing a modular, submarine-launched UUV with advanced mission sensors, communications, and payload interfaces to facilitate future upgrades and technology insertions. The Snakehead program followed a phased, risk-managed approach, with Phase I culminating in the fabrication and testing of a government-developed prototype. Due to evolving requirements and priorities, the Snakehead program was cancelled starting in FY 2026, with close-out activities and the transition of the prototype to the Pennsylvania State University Applied Research Laboratory (PSU ARL) occurring in FY 2025.

Following the cancellation of Snakehead, the Dragonfish LUUV Project became the primary focus. Dragonfish is a rapid and iterative prototyping effort designed to address urgent Fleet requirements for below-water intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, including target classification and payload activation. The project builds on a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) that evaluated commercially available LUUVs. The Dragonfish effort involves prototyping V1 vehicles, conducting in-water system-level testing, and using results to inform the development of V2 vehicles, which are intended as minimal viable products for operational use.

The Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Project (2094) encompasses the technical and management activities necessary to support these development efforts. FY 2025 activities include the close-out of Snakehead, transition of assets, and ongoing prototyping, experimentation, and demonstration of commercially available long-endurance UUV systems. The project also includes engineering support, platform integration, risk reduction, and fleet experimentation, with contributions from multiple Navy warfare centers and research laboratories.

A significant portion of FY 2024 funding was provided as a Congressional Add for Commercially Available Long Endurance UUVs (Project 9999). This add supported the acquisition, prototyping, and experimentation with commercially available large-diameter UUV test platforms and ancillary equipment. The goal was to rapidly integrate a broad range of payloads and sensors, serving as test beds for Navy organizations and expediting the delivery of advanced UUV capabilities to the Fleet. Demonstrations were conducted with vendors, leveraging DIU's Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for rapid contracting.

The acquisition strategy for the LUUV program emphasizes rapid prototyping, risk reduction, and leveraging commercial technologies. The Navy has shifted from government-developed prototypes to a model that assesses and adapts commercial solutions, aiming to accelerate the fielding of operationally relevant UUV capabilities. The program also focuses on developing techniques, tactics, and procedures (TTPs) and concepts of operation (CONOPS) to ensure seamless integration with submarine and surface ship platforms.