![IITSEC 2024 eBook Featured Image V2](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IITSEC-2024-eBook-Featured-Image-V2-350x176.png)
![Navy admiral ‘skeptical’ of Large USV’s future amid congressional scrutiny](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/Mariner-Side-View-scaled-e1661283313758-225x150.jpg)
Rear Adm. William Daly said he believes the service would be best served by a common unmanned craft that can accommodate one of two payloads.
By Justin Katz![EXCLUSIVE: 2 key senators urge Navy to change course on large USV program](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/Mariner-Side-View-scaled-e1661283313758-225x150.jpg)
Lawmakers have been skeptical of the Navy’s unmanned programs since 2019, but seem to be warming up to some more than others.
By Justin Katz![Navy starts building hub for surface, subsurface drones](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/06/Boeing-ORCA-XLUUV-e1639586119900-225x150.jpg)
The new facility will house the most high-profile, upcoming unmanned maritime systems.
By Justin Katz![Navy’s Unmanned Plan Inches Forward; Ships To Have Crew Quarters](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/Sea-Hunter-e1642004481298-225x150.jpg)
“It is too early to say where we will end up across that portfolio, but we are investigating a range of options via our prototyping efforts,” Capt. Pete Small told the virtual Surface Navy convention
By Paul McLeary![Navy Acting Undersec: USS Ford, LCS ‘Not Our Fault’](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/01/Slavonic-225x150.jpg)
“Some of these people may have been in these jobs too long,” Navy Undersecretary Gregory Slavonic suggested of House and Senate Armed Services committee lawmakers, suggesting they should be subject to term limits.
By Paul McLeary![Navy Plans Hammerhead Mines To Box In Chinese, Russian Subs](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/10/MK54-225x150.jpg)
The Hammerhead mine would be delivered to sites by underwater drones, and “detect, classify, and defeat” manned or unmanned submarines, the Navy says.
By Paul McLeary![EXCLUSIVE Navy Chief Demands Network Linking All Ships ‘This Decade’](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/04/Gilday-225x150.jpg)
The Navy isn’t part of an Army/Air Force project to build a new tactical network, though the CNO said he wants the Navy’s version to “plug into JADC2” once it’s up and running.
By Paul McLeary![DoD Ponders 581-Ship Fleet, As Navy Shipyard Problems Persist](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/Forddrydock-225x150.jpg)
“We don’t have 20 years to do this,” said Rep. Rob Wittman. “We need to be modernizing our yards now…the upgrades need to be done at a faster pace.”
By Paul McLeary![USS Vinson Flies F-35s & Quietly Readies For New Refueling Drone](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/Vinson-e1638287900342-225x150.jpg)
Headlines have celebrated the carrier’s new F-35s — but the Navy also added upgrades to the Vinson for the MQ-25 refueling drone, which could be a game-changer for future ops.
By Paul McLeary![How The US Is Preparing To Hunt New Chinese, Russian Subs](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/BlackWidow-225x150.jpg)
“It’s pretty well-known now that our homeland is no longer a sanctuary,” Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, Submarine Forces Atlantic says. “So we have to be prepared here to conduct high-end combat operations in local waters.”
By Paul McLeary![Esper Echoes Reagan Buildup, Calls For Billions More For Ships](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/EsperNavy-225x150.jpg)
The SecDef wants more money for the Navy’s shipbuilding account, and one way to get it is to dip into an existing account, a powerful Congressman says.
By Paul McLeary![Navy’s New Unmanned Fleet Likely To Hunt Chinese & Russian Subs](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/08/ANTX-225x150.jpg)
Tracking and harassing submarines will likely be a key job for the new generation of networked, unmanned ships.
By Paul McLeary![Navy Awards Study Contracts On Large Unmanned Ship – As Congress Watches Closely](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/Sea-Hunter-e1642004481298-225x150.jpg)
Today’s deals for designs — Large Unmanned Surface Vessels displacing 2-3,000 tons — reflect the ‘take it slow’ approach being forced on the service.
By Paul McLeary![Navy Inks Deal For New Unmanned Fleet](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/01/ACTUV_ONR_Transition_619x316-e1564071898518-225x150.jpg)
The $34 million deal marks the service’s first real thrust to get unmanned ships into the water, despite Congressional worries the service is moving too fast.
By Paul McLeary