WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Navy released a solicitation seeking industry input in support of the Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) program, July 28. The solicitation, open until August 11, invites industry partners to submit white papers or slide decks outlining their capabilities and proposed solutions for the MASC program.
The program will utilize an innovative acquisition approach – leveraging Other Transaction Agreements, a flexible and streamlined acquisition tool – to emphasize rapid deployment and cost-effectiveness through commercial off-the-shelf technology and incremental development phases. Utilizing existing commercial designs and production capabilities will enable the Navy to rapidly deploy a formidable and cost-effective USV force.
“The MASC program represents a significant step forward in the Navy's pursuit of a robust and adaptable unmanned surface fleet,” said Capt. Matthew Lewis, program manager of the Unmanned Maritime Systems program office. “This innovative approach to acquisition, coupled with a modular design philosophy, will provide the fleet with cost-effective and highly capable platforms to address the challenges of the 21st-century maritime environment.”
MASC combines essential capabilities from the Navy’s Medium and Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) programs, merging them into a flexible, modular platform designed for multi-mission operations. This will enhance the Navy’s distributed lethality and battlespace awareness through embarked warfighting capabilities including anti-surface warfare, strike warfare and information operations in addition to future embarked mission areas.
“By uniting advanced modular design with rapid, cost-effective acquisition strategies, MASC will transform our surface fleet’s capabilities—enabling distributed lethality and enhanced battlespace awareness across multiple mission domains,” said Melissa Kirkendall, acting Program Executive Officer, Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC). “We encourage industry partners to engage with this transformative initiative and collaborate with us to shape the future of unmanned maritime operations.”
The development of MASC answers the call to adapt to evolving geopolitical and technological challenges. MASC will bolster the Navy's ability to operate in contested environments, ensuring a more distributed and resilient force posture and significantly enhancing the Navy's combat effectiveness.
PEO USC designs, develops, builds, maintains, and modernizes the Navy's unmanned maritime systems; mine warfare systems; special warfare systems; expeditionary warfare systems; small boats/craft; and small surface combatants.
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