Page 35: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2026)

SHIPBUILDING PLAN

YOUR PROPULSION EXPERTS

Unmanned Systems:

No Longer Experimental

One of the clearest strategic changes in the document is the

Free choice of formal integration of unmanned systems into ? eet architec- electric motor ture. This is no longer concept development. It is procurement.

Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel

Reduced noise

Suitable for (MUSV) and vibration any common

Planned procurement: tug design • 3 in FY27 • 47 across FYDP

Increased • $3.11 billion investment mechanical

The Navy sees MUSVs as enabling distributed sensing, tar- ef? ciency geting, deception and attritable combat mass. At press time, suppliers for MUSV was shortlisted to seven. The compa-

SCHOTTEL RudderPropeller (LE-Drive) nies selected for the MUSV Family of Systems development program are Sea Machines, Leidos, Saronic Technologies,

LEADING IN THE ELECTRIC TUG MARKET

Galliano Marine Services, PacMar Technologies, Birdon, and

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).

SCHOTTEL is the leading azimuth thruster supplier for fully electric tugboats. By offering extremely compact,

Extra Large Unmanned Underwater integrated solutions, such as the embedded L-Drive,

SCHOTTEL is providing future-proof solutions.

Vehicle (XLUUV)

Planned procurement: www.schottel.com • 2 in FY27 • 16 across FYDP • $1.13 billion investment

These platforms support undersea surveillance, operational ? exibility, and risk transfer away from crewed platforms. The

Navy’s inclusion of unmanned vessels in total ? eet accounting is itself a strategic declaration.

Industrial Modernization

Central to the report, and the U.S. Navy's future, its in- dustrial assessment, as the Navy acknowledges decades of dysfunction premised on changing requirements, delayed designs cost overruns, supplier fragility and last, but cer- tainly not least, workforce shortages. Its answer is broad reform, and key initiatives include: • Distributed Shipbuilding: Today, 10% of shipbuilding work occurs at distributed sites. The goal is 50%.

• AI and Digital Production: The Navy highlights its

ShipOS initiative, designed to use AI and enterprise-wide data integration to improve production visibility, reduce delays and optimize scheduling. Pilot results cited include schedule planning reduced from 160 hours to under 10 minutes; material review cut from weeks to under one hour • Shipyard Infrastructure: Major investments include a $6.2B submarine industrial base; a $6.7B surface ship industrial base; a $7.2B nuclear shipbuilder productivity; and a $13.7 billion public shipyard modernization.

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