Serco Books $68M US Navy Unmanned Maritime Systems Contract

The U.S. Navy has awarded a three-year contract valued at an estimated $68 million to Serco for development and testing support to the autonomous operations of the service’s unmanned surface vessels. 

Serco’s work on the Navy’s Autonomy and Vehicle Control Systems/Testing and Evaluations contract will be performed for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division’s Naval Architecture and Engineering Department in West Bethesda, Maryland. 

The contract’s deliverables include services and products for unmanned surface vessels’ integration and configuration management of autonomous systems, Serco said Thursday.

The contract also calls for software development for the autonomous systems, as well as conducting tests and assessments on unmanned maritime systems to be deployed in the Navy’s fleet, the company added.

The company provides similar unmanned systems support to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Naval Oceanographic Office, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific and Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport.

Serco plans to work on the NSWCCD contract in Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia, with additional support from San Diego, California; Washington, D.C.; Gulfport, Mississippi; and surrounding Gulf Coast areas.

The Navy plans to assemble a manned-unmanned fleet in two five-year phases, targeting purchases and tests between fiscal years 2024 and 2028 and deployment from FY 2029 to FY 2033.