The US Navy has posted a request for proposals for the development of an Ocean Explorer (OEX) Large Underwater Vehicle capable of long-endurance operations.
Revealed by the Office of Naval Research, the project requires an “ultra-large” autonomous system designed for carrying a huge modular payload in extended ocean-scale tasks.
Tenders should include a full-cost plan for the preliminary design phase, a detailed design option, and rapid prototype design and fabrication of the OEX.
Submissions will be screened to establish the technical feasibility of the submarine drone and related performance with a payload module.
Additional metrics will focus on the groundwork for operational and maintenance infrastructure required to support a potential OEX squadron.
Industry partners interested in bidding on the effort can submit their full proposals until October 2025, with white papers until July 2025.
Underwater System Projects in US
The US Navy’s OEX project is being conducted simultaneously with the Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) initiative, which aims to deliver long-endurance and deep water autonomous assets that could distribute key solutions such as sensing payloads and effectors across fleets in the Pacific and other austere theaters.
Among the LDUUV’s industry partners are Kongsberg, Anduril, and Oceaneering International.
The force is also working on the Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) framework, a new class of autonomous submarines with diesel-electric hybrid propulsion and a payload section for various operations.
The XLUUV project is led by Boeing and will be designated as the Orca-class fleet once commissioned into service.
