Australian-owned marine engineering company Birdon has started construction of its initial batch of Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels for a US Navy competition, The Maritime Executive reported. The programme involves a production rate of one vessel every two months, with Birdon drawing on an established shipyard rather than capacity that has yet to be developed.
Birdon is one of seven companies selected to compete for the Navy’s MUSV programme after several revisions to its acquisition approach. The other contenders are Sea Machines, Leidos, Saronic Technologies, Galliano Marine Services, PacMar Technologies and Huntington Ingalls Industries. According to The Maritime Executive, many of the selected companies are pursuing the work alongside partners.
For its entry, Birdon has divided responsibilities between engineering, autonomous technology and vessel construction. Florida-based Mythos AI is supplying the underlying autonomous navigation and control technology. C&C Marine, a shipyard in the New Orleans area with highly automated fabrication facilities, is responsible for construction under an agreement with Birdon. Birdon itself handles design, systems integration and oversight as the prime contractor.
The choice of C&C reflects the Navy’s requirements for quick prototype development and delivery, the report said. The yard has nearly three decades of experience building and repairing working vessels, with an emphasis on meeting schedules and budgets. It has also worked with Birdon on the Marine Corps’ Ancillary Surface Craft, a prototype beach-landing vessel measuring 150 feet and intended for combat logistics.
Birdon president Kevin Mooney presented the start of construction as the transition from preparation to practical delivery. He said the company’s confidence rested on manufacturing capacity already available, together with production-ready engineering and an established serial builder. That emphasis places C&C’s readiness to begin work at the centre of Birdon’s approach to the competition.