HII has signed a contract to continue building unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) as part of the US Navy’s Lionfish program, expanding an effort that could grow to 200 platforms valued at more than $347 million.
The award follows a $36.9-million contract announced in May and comes after the company completed the first 42 undersea drones for the initiative at its Pocasset, Massachusetts, facility at the end of 2025.
The framework agreement includes engineering services as well as afloat and auxiliary support equipment.
HII noted that the Lionfish program is the US Navy’s “first successful transition” from an Other Transaction Authority prototype to full-rate production, adding that its UUV system is the only cyber-compliant underwater vehicle currently being manufactured for the military.
“The decision to exercise this option year production of the Lionfish program reflects the US Navy’s confidence in the platform’s operational performance, reliability and adaptability,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of the Unmanned Systems group in HII’s Mission Technologies division.
“Our team remains focused on delivering advanced autonomous systems that provide sailors and marines with critical undersea warfare capabilities in support of evolving mission requirements.”
The US Navy’s Lionfish System
The Lionfish UUV is modeled after HII’s modular Remus 300 sub-surface drone, built with future-proof architecture to support flexible payload compatibility and rapid integration.
It has a length of 10 feet (3 meters), a weight of up to 154 pounds (70 kilograms), and can reach full charge in 18 hours, depending on configuration.
The platform uses a three-blade propeller, acoustic and communication devices, LED and infrared lights, and a global positioning unit.
In the field, the drone can move at 5 knots (9 kilometers/6 miles per hour), cover a range of 165 kilometers (103 miles), and dive up to 1,000 feet (305 meters).
