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Textron Systems Unmanned Systems’ Common Unmanned Surface Vessel (CUSV).
A division of Textron Systems has won a $33.8 million Navy contract for an unmanned surface vehicle designed to sweep for acoustic and magnetic mines from the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), company officials told USNI News last week.
The Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS previously known as the unmanned surface sweep system or USSS) is planned for the Mine Countermeasure (MCM) mission package planned for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
The USV is designed to methodically sweep a patch of ocean towing a cable designed to trigger so-called influence mines — mines that activate when they detect sounds or magnetic signatures that correspond to those of a large ship.Textron now has two years to finalize the development of the UISS before a 2017 test of the MCM package.
The contract has a potential value of $118 million, according to a Sept. 30 Pentagon contract award under the Textron unit’s old name, AAI Corp.UISS is planned for the third increment of the MCM package.The first increment of the MCM package — designed to find and neutralize less complex but more plentiful contact mines — is slated to be tested onboard USS Independence (LCS-2) next year.
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