US Navy Greenlights 7 MUSV Prototypes: 25 t Payload, 2,500 nm Range — ULAQ and MARLİN Implications
The US Navy has greenlit seven submissions from its Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) marketplace to advance into the prototype phase. The target schedule: at-sea demonstrations before October 2026, with leasing or procurement decisions in fiscal 2027.
According to Breaking Defense’s 22 May 2026 report, the Navy’s MUSV marketplace — launched in March 2026 — has filtered seven industry designs into the next stage. Navy spokesman Capt. Ron Flanders said the names would be released officially “within the next few days”; Saildrone is already confirmed as a submitter.
MUSV requirement profile: 25 t payload, 2,500 nm range
The Navy’s core MUSV performance requirements are:
- Payload — capable of carrying at least two 40-foot shipping containers
- Range — 2,500 nautical miles
- Speed — 25 knots in Sea State 4 conditions
- Useful load — 25 metric tons
- Mission set — anti-submarine warfare (ASW), intelligence gathering, logistics and resupply
Portfolio Acquisition Executive Rebecca Gassler said “There’s a number of missions we could immediately use these vessels for.” Roughly $2.1 billion in funding has been allocated under the Trump administration’s July legislative package as part of the broader “Golden Fleet” autonomous-systems acquisition initiative.
Timeline
The marketplace opened in March 2026. Selected industry partners must complete at-sea demonstrations before October 2026. Operational availability is targeted for fiscal year 2027, when the Navy will decide between leasing and outright procurement models.
Turkish industry perspective
Türkiye has emerged as one of the leading USV ecosystems in the world:
- ARES Shipyard + Meteksan ULAQ — armed USV with CİDA rocket launcher, anti-ship missile and remote weapon station integrations
- STM ULAQ variants — intelligence, surveillance and electronic warfare configurations
- SEFİNE Shipyard MARLİN — medium USV prototype with ASELSAN sensor and weapons packages
- ASELSAN SİDA — anti-infiltration surface unmanned platform
- ARMATTA — next-generation naval intelligence and strike platform
The US Navy’s MUSV requirements — particularly the 2,500 nm range and 25 t payload — sit at a larger segment than current ULAQ and MARLİN designs in the Turkish inventory. But the development trajectory marks the next export-market step for Turkish manufacturers. Scaled-up ULAQ and MARLİN variants are the natural basis for any MUSV-class competition.
How significantly the Turkish Navy expands its USV fleets in Black Sea and Mediterranean operations will shape whether MUSV-parallel capability also enters the Turkish inventory directly.
Strategic context
The MUSV programme anchors the US Navy’s transition from a “large surface combatant”-centric doctrine to an architecture of networked smaller + unmanned platforms. Combined with concepts like IAI’s Diamond and Turkish naval planning, it points to a profound re-shaping of global navies over the next decade.
Sources
- Breaking Defense — “Navy green lights seven MUSV marketplace submissions to prototype phase”, 22 May 2026
- US Navy press release
- Saildrone official page
- STM — ULAQ / ULAQ-AT open product files
- SEFİNE Shipyard — MARLİN product page
