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# HII Secures U.S. Navy Option-Year Contract for Lionfish Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Production
- URL: https://www.warfaredecoded.com/hii-secures-u-s-navy-option-year-contract-for-lionfish-unmanned-undersea-vehicle-production/
- Published: 2026-07-26T19:02:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-26T19:02:25.000Z
- Author: Kevin Macmellon
- Tags: Military Technology

HII has been awarded an **option-year production contract** to continue manufacturing the U.S. Navy's **Lionfish Small Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (SUUV)**, reinforcing the Navy's investment in autonomous undersea warfare capabilities, including naval missions, mine countermeasures, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), anti-submarine warfare, and electronic warfare.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1e/44/1e448b0d-1e44-4bbb-bad8-c4da165a2995/content/images/2026/07/HII-REMUS-Engineers-Carry-the-REMUS-Underwater-Drone-to-the-Launch-Site.png)

HII REMUS Team Prepares an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Mission Deployment

The contract follows a major production milestone achieved at the end of 2025, when HII completed the **42nd Lionfish vehicle** at its Pocasset, Massachusetts, production facility. The five-year production program has the potential to scale to **as many as 200 vehicles**, with a total contract value exceeding **$347 million**.

**Built on the Proven REMUS 300 Platform**

Lionfish is derived from HII's commercial **REMUS 300** platform, which was originally developed through collaboration with the **U.S. Navy** and the **Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)**.   
  
The modular, open-architecture design enables rapid integration of new payloads and sensors, allowing the vehicle to adapt to evolving operational requirements while reducing lifecycle costs.

## REMUS Family Comparison: Where Lionfish Fits  

The **Lionfish SUUV** is based on HII's **REMUS 300** autonomous underwater vehicle, positioning it between compact tactical AUVs and larger deep-water autonomous platforms. The REMUS family is designed to cover a wide range of naval missions, from coastal reconnaissance to deep-ocean exploration.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1e/44/1e448b0d-1e44-4bbb-bad8-c4da165a2995/content/images/2026/07/HII-REMUS-Autonomous-Underwater-Vehicle-Begins-Its-Undersea-Mission.png)

HII REMUS Underwater Drone Begins Its Dive for Autonomous Maritime Operations

**Modular Payloads for Multi-Mission Operations**

The REMUS platform features an open architecture that allows operators to configure the vehicle for different missions. Depending on the variant, payload options include:

- Side-scan sonar
- Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS)
- Multi-beam sonar
- Laser scanner
- High-resolution cameras
- Magnetometer
- Bathymetric mapping sensors
- User-defined mission payloads
- Third-party autonomy software

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1e/44/1e448b0d-1e44-4bbb-bad8-c4da165a2995/content/images/2026/07/HII-REMUS-lined-up-for-Missions-1.png)

**A Milestone for U.S. Naval Autonomy**

According to HII, the Lionfish program represents the **U.S. Navy's first successful transition from an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) prototype to full-scale production**.   
  
It is also the **first and only cyber-compliant unmanned underwater vehicle currently in production** for the Navy, highlighting its readiness for operational deployment in modern contested environments.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1e/44/1e448b0d-1e44-4bbb-bad8-c4da165a2995/content/images/2026/07/HII-REMUS-VARIANT-COMPARISON-MATRIX-2.png)

**Expanding Global REMUS Fleet**  
  
The Lionfish program also builds on the long operational history of HII's REMUS family of unmanned underwater vehicles. 

The company has delivered **more than 700 REMUS vehicles** to customers in **over 30 countries**, including **14 NATO members**, with more than **90% of the systems remaining in active service** after decades of operation.  
  
Author: Kevin Macmellon