// UNMANNED SYSTEMS AND NEXT-GEN WARFARE TERM
Large USV
A Large USV, or Large Unmanned Surface Vessel, is a type of naval drone designed to operate on the surface of the water without a human crew onboard. These vessels are significantly larger than typical remote-controlled boats, allowing them to carry substantial payloads and operate for extended periods.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
A Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) is an autonomous naval asset characterized by substantial displacement, extended endurance, and modular payload capacity, enabling diverse missions such as Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and mine countermeasures (MCM) to augment manned fleet capabilities.
BACKGROUND
The military equipment of Israel includes a wide array of arms, armored vehicles, artillery, missiles, planes, helicopters, and warships. Many of these are purchased overseas and many are indigenous designs. Until the Six-Day War of 1967, the Israel Defense Forces' principal supplier was France; since then, it has been the United States government and defense companies in the United States. In the early 21st century, Israeli companies began selling arms to the United States. Much military equipment undergoes improvements in Israeli workshops.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- LUSV
- Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV)
- Robotic Surface Vessel
- Optionally Manned Surface Vessel
- Unmanned Surface Combatant
USAGE NOTE
Large USVs are increasingly critical in military doctrine for distributed maritime operations, serving as force multipliers and reducing risk to human personnel by performing dull, dirty, or dangerous tasks.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Large USV.
The largest military shipbuilder in the United States, HII is a primary contender and concept developer for the US Navy's Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) program, leveraging its extensive shipbuilding and integration expertise.
A global security and aerospace company, Lockheed Martin is involved in the development of advanced naval systems, including various unmanned surface vessel (USV) concepts and technologies for military applications.
A leading defense contractor providing advanced technology solutions, L3Harris develops a range of unmanned maritime systems, sensors, and command & control solutions critical for large USV operations in military and defense contexts.
A major U.S. shipbuilder, Austal USA constructs naval vessels and is actively exploring and developing autonomous capabilities and unmanned variants for future naval programs, including potential large USV applications based on its high-speed vessel designs.
Known for its long-endurance, uncrewed surface vehicles, Saildrone's larger platforms (like the Surveyor) are being adopted by the US Navy for maritime domain awareness, intelligence gathering, and oceanographic data collection, classifying them as large USVs for defense.
A major government contractor with significant expertise in maritime autonomy, Leidos developed the "Sea Hunter" (a medium USV) and continues to be a key partner in developing and integrating autonomous systems for the US Navy's future unmanned surface fleet, including concepts for larger vessels.
As part of the U.S. Navy, NAVSEA is the primary engineering, acquisition, and life cycle management command for naval ships and systems, including leading the development and procurement of the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) program.
DARPA funds and manages advanced technology projects for the U.S. military, often initiating groundbreaking research in areas like maritime autonomy and advanced vessel designs that directly inform and enable future large USV capabilities.