Two Drone Firms Sue the Navy Over MUSV Cuts

Blue Water Autonomy and Saildrone allege the Navy broke its own rules when it dropped them from a $2.1 billion unmanned vessel competition.

By The Defense Desk

Blue Water Autonomy and Saildrone filed separate lawsuits in federal court Tuesday, each claiming the U.S. Navy violated its own acquisition rules by removing them from the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel Family of Systems program. [1]

The Navy announced on June 1 that it had selected seven companies — Sea Machines, Leidos, Saronic Technologies, Galliano Marine Services, PacMar Technologies, Birdon, and Huntington Ingalls Industries — to advance to at-sea testing. Neither plaintiff made the list. [1]

The company says it was barred from the MUSV competition before it could demonstrate its vessel in an on-water test, calling the Navy's decision "capricious" and not "in accordance with statute or regulation." [1]

Saildrone's grievance cuts differently. The company operates the world's largest fleet of contractor-owned, contractor-operator USVs, logging upwards of 2.5 million nautical miles since 2012, and says it learned of its disqualification through a news article rather than any official notice. [2]

The stakes are substantial: President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act allocates $2.[1]

When the acquisition pipeline moves this fast and the money this large, disputes over who gets cut — and how — are almost inevitable. The courts will now decide whether speed came at the cost of due process.

Both companies are asking for reinstatement in the competition; the Navy, citing pending litigation, declined to comment. [1]